World View Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World View - Essay Example Culture is quite a flexible and fragile phenomenon, a feature which gives it extensive dynamism. Therefore, it changes easily and can be easily lost because it only exists in the minds of people. Culture determines many aspects of the lives of people. It has a strong influence on government, formal language, architecture, and a host of other products of human creativity (O’Neil, 1 – 4). Human culture occurs in three levels. The first one is the collection of cultural traditions that are unique to a society. An example of this is Japanese culture. The second level of culture is a subculture. In societies composed of groups of people who have come from a number of different parts of the world, individuals usually retain their culture, which distinguishes them from the rest of society. The third level of culture is cultural universals, which consists of behavioral patterns that people learn and collectively share all over the world. Examples of cultural traits characterist ic of cultural universals are; the use of gender and age to classify individuals within the society, and the division of labor on a gender basis (O’Neil, 4 – 7). Mythology Mythology is a body of myths possessed by a particular society. A myth is a narrative of a sacred nature that provides an explanation as to why the humankind or the world transformed to become as it is now. Myths usually contain supernatural characters and religious leaders of the society usually endorse them. Myths are part of the culture of a society and, therefore, play a decisive role in shaping that society’s behavioral patterns. This is especially because they substantially influence a society’s religious beliefs.

Amity Centre for eLearning Essay Example for Free

Amity Centre for eLearning Essay Mr. Sreenivas (55) working as manager in Alfa Chemicals, a large scale industrial establishment engaged in the production of Phosphate and Sulphur. He has 30 years of experience in Alfa Chemicals. He has an excellent track record as Manager Human Resources within the organization. Many times he got best  employer award to performance excellence. His area of expertise in recruitment and selection process, and performance appraisal has been widely acknowledged. The Information Technology division of Alfa Chemicals industry once faced acute shortage of manpower. Mr. Raj, Manager IT division put forward an immediate requirement of 10 employees in the IT division, to HR department, starting from junior level to senior level. As and when Mr. Sreenivas got the letter from Mr. Raj, in his department, he started processing of it. To get it done, he approached many sources. He had gone through the data bank of company and considered 100 resumes for recruitment from it. He also informed the employees and employers of the organization, in their respective departmental notice board, showing the immediate requirement of 10 employees to facilitate the internal recruitment procedures. From the employees and employers of Alfa Chemicals he got around 150 applications with resumes. In addition to that in order to give an opportunity to candidates external to the organization he floated an advertisement in several daily news papers viz., Times of India, Sakal, and Indian Express. From external sources he got around 350 applications. Almost 600 candidates, including internal and external applicants, applied for 10 vacant posts. To ensure the reliability and dependability of the process, Sreenivas made his personal scrutiny at all levels, in the recruitment and selection process. Since the entire department function as a team in HR, all the members trust each other and extended their valuable contribution in the recruitment and selection. The department conducted a preliminary interview in order to made first  screening process and filter the number of applicants. After the first screening process the HR department reduced the number of applicant list from 600 to 500 applicants. He conducted a written test and group discussion and there by further reduces the number of applicants to 300. These 300 candidates then exposed to one hour psychometric test and out of which 50 candidates selected for the final interview. From the final interview, 10 candidates finally selected. The entire process of recruitment and selection took almost 3 months. The selected candidates list then forwarded to the top management for the final approval. HR department informed the candidates that the appointment letters will be sent to those who are selected for the post. Sreenivas approached several time to the top management about to get final approval of list of candidates for the IT department. Sreenivas informed the IT department also that the delay in the final list announcement as the top  management take some more time. He waited almost 4 weeks. But, no reply at all. Mr. Raj, the IT manager every day enquired about the latest information about the final list of the candidates and tentative date of induction. Sreenivas faced the difficulty to make any comment on the subject as there was no information from the top management. HR department had to answer many phone calls from out side and inside the organization, as recruitment involved candidates from inside and outside. The employers and employees of the industry, whose relatives got into the final selection process, became regular visitors of the HR department, asking for the finalist. Sreenivas called a meeting of HR team members and once again made a close verification of the entire process. But he couldnt find any fault in any of the recruitment and selection process. As the time went on he became more suspicious about the delay in the announcement of the result. When the problem becomes so crucial Sreenivas got direction from the top management to meet Mr. Kartik, General Manager, one of the top officials in the organization. Mr.Kartik asked the entire process of recruitment and selection that made on IT professionals. Sreenivas furnished the entire details of the process in a precise report. Mr. Kartik read the entire  report and soon after made a direct comment that the recruitment and selection process that for IT professionals need to be cancelled as he observed some discrepancies in the process made by his department. He further directed Sreenivas that the vacancies have to be filled through contract basis and no permanent vacancies to be made in these positions, for one year. Further he informed Sreenivas that another recruitment process to be done from external candidates applied and no internal application to be entertained. Sreenivas couldnt agree with the Mr. Kiran comment on his departments inefficiency in the recruitment and selection process. For a while he thought about quitting the organization, as he faced a baseless allegation from the top management. Till date there is no black mark in his functional dissemination. On many occasion he helped the industry to find out best possible solutions in order to tackle the many manpower crisis. Sreenivas became so depressed and felt quiet unhappy about the decision taken by the management. Mr. Sreenivas called an urgent meeting of his subordinates and communicated the management decision and directives. He shared with the team members that the management had greater dissatisfaction on the recruitment and selection process done by the department. He enquired that any one made any mistake in the  process. All members denied the probability of any mistake. As there were clear norms and regulations related to each step and there was no dual command, they found no possibility of creeping errors in the selection process. In the meeting he informed his subordinates that the management freezes the appointment process for IT professionals and asked for external recruitment on contract basis. It was shocking news to members. They asked several questions to get a proper clarification from Sreenivas. As Mr. Sreenivas himself unaware of the reasons behind management decision, he informed his subordinate his inability to give a proper reply in this regard. Sreenivas also informed this matter to Mr. Raj. During the evening hours, in the same day, Sreenivas got a call from Mr. George, one of his senior-level Managers, with whom he had friendly and informal relationship. Mr. George asked Srinivas to come to his cabin. As per the call Mr.  Sreenivas met George in his cabin. George enquired about his family and many unofficial matters in the informal interaction. Half an hour later, Mr. George enquired about the recruitment and selection process of IT professionals. He shared with George all those things happened with top management. Leaving aside the informal interaction, George initiated formal discussion with Sreenivas. He told Sreenivas that the selected list of IT professionals consisted two names, Mr. Avdesh and Mr. Praveen, they are the relatives of two trade union leaders of the organization. The management felt that being the relatives of two trade union leaders, in the long run, they could be a threat to organization. It may create an image that the trade unions still have a control over the decision making process in organization. Further, the hold of trade union may expand if this selection process materializes. Mr. Geroge informed Sreenivas that management didnt have any doubt about the dependability and exactness of the recruitment processes that HR departmentr did. George further informed Sreenivas that as per the intimation from top management he called Mr. Sreenivas and briefed about the undercurrents of this episode. The entire news was shocking to Mr. Sreenivas. He didnt know that the management decision had this much of undercurrents. After hearing entire story Sreenivas become so silent and returned to his cabin. While sitting inside his cabin, he made a silent comment that, what a useless effort. Questions 1. What are the undercurrents of selection process in Alfa Chemicals? 2. How management decision justifies management effort in the maintenance of harmonious industrial relation? 3. Do you believe that as HR Manager, Mr. Sreenivas failed to gather direct and indirect information about the candidates? 4. How cancellation of appointment decision that affect the moral of organizational members? 5. How you interpret the dilemma of HR managers have to face in such kind of situations. 6. What would be your decision if you have to face such situation? 7. Do you believe that trade unions have quota in appointments? 8. How the decision affect the reduction of wastages and improvement of resources. 9. Is the decision reflecting management fear towards trade union or inability to develop a congenial industrial relationship within the organization? 10. How you interpret the silence of Mr. Sreenivas?

Roles of Human Resource Management (HRM)

Roles of Human Resource Management (HRM) The role of the human resources (HR) function has increased considerably in recent years with a number of the HR-related activities being considered as strategic activities. These activities provide for the increased role of the HR function in the management of the business leading to the term strategic HRM (human resources management) which defines the difference in approach and importance of the HR function. The concept of strategic HRM refers to HR activities that facilitate strategic flexibility with the goal of reaching a dynamic fit and adequately answering the requests of the strategy of the organisation and the environment (De Pablos Lytras, 2008, p.50). This implies that the HR activities which could be considered as strategic HRM are the HR activities which directly impact the implementation of the strategy of the organisation including those which impact the strategic direction of the organisation. These activities are best seen through examples of HR activities in organi sations which can be referenced as strategic HRM. The examples presented in this essay include the implementation of relevant training programmes to bring significant enhancement in a firms operational performance, the development of knowledge management in the organisation, and the development of overall talent level in the organisation. Each of these examples is discussed further. The first example is the implementation of relevant training programmes to bring significant enhancement in a firms operational performance. The HR function has as part of its typical mandate the training of staff in an organisation. The development of staff and their continued growth in terms of professional and personal development is one of the main challenges of the HR function particularly in the recent period where increased competition in the market place has demanded greater skills and capabilities from personnel (Kaplan Norton, 2004). For training and development activities to evolve from typical HR functional activities to strategic HRM initiatives, the actions need to have an underlying importance in support of the organisations operational activities. The research of Pandey (2007) is important as it provides some examples in which the actions of the HR function in training and development of personnel were considered to be strategic HRM activities. In this research, the impact on the firm performance was noted with the enhancement of operational efficiencies of the organisations leading to competitive advantage versus other players in the market. The results of the research indicate that the Six Sigma intervention focusing on a case study organisation resulted in processes which are the industrial best practices that synchronise with the socio-cultural system of the organisation and make it the differentiator, which is complemented with its alignment with the organisational way of functioning including the strategic intent of the firm, technical expertise of the workforce and organisational culture which were all integrated in the Six Sigma approach and objective (Pandey, 2007, p.149). Clearly, in the case study of the research, t he training initiative of the case study organisation was considered to be a strategic HRM activity given the impact of the process on the overall approach in the operations of the business. The main limitation of the study was that the scope was limited to one single case study organisation. In addition, the impact was not quantified and the cases study organisation was not identified given confidentiality considerations and it was just referred to as a multinational corporation in the financial services sector. The research of Pandey (2007) did identify a number of other companies which pursued Six Sigma interventions which could be considered as strategic HRM initiatives given the scale of the impact of the actions. Linda (2004, cited in Pandey, 2007) noted that the HR function of Dow Chemical was able to generate US$3.2 million in positive financial impact for the organisation through the Six Sigma intervention initiative. In a separate example, Bhatnagar Sharma (2004, cited in Pandey, 2007) noted that Ford had generated more than US$1 billion in savings from 2000 as a result of the firms Six Sigma intervention implemented by the HR function. In both these cases, the HR function pursued arguably strategic HR initiatives as the actions taken in relation to the training and education of the work force led to improved operational capabilities which enhanced the competitive position of the firms, and also generated significant financial benefits impacting the bottom line of the firms positiv ely. In the hospitality industry, an example of a firm which incorporates strategic HRM in its activities is the Hilton Group which links strategic HRM to its improved business performance and the delivery of the Hilton promise to its clients (Maxwell Lyle, 2002). The second example is in the development of knowledge management in the organisation. This is particularly helpful for organisations where knowledge is critical and is the main competence that differentiates an organisation from other players in the market. An example of a sector in which this is the case is the professional services sector. The research of Teo et al (2008) is important to consider as it noted the HR actions that impact the strategic position of the professional services firms. These were the HR initiatives which impact the skills, knowledge and capabilities of the staff in the organisation with a particular focus on the management of knowledge workers as this directly leads to the increased competitiveness of the professional services firms. It is the development of the human capital and its establishment as the key differentiator for the firms and its competitive advantage that distinguishes this particular action to be considered as strategic HRM. Youndt Snell (2 004) is also an important journal to consider as this shows the increased importance of human capital in the competitive advantage of organisations versus other tangible capital and assets that used to drive the competitiveness of organisations. The impact of human capital and its link to the firms performance has been noted in other research works as well (Teece, 2003; Hill et al, 2003). The limitation in the use of the research of Teo et al (2008) as a case study research for this essay is that it does not provide the specific names of the professional services firms included in the research. The third example is the development of overall talent level in the organisation. The research of Sharma Bhatnagar (2009) showed how the development of a talent management strategy is one of the key strategic HRM actions that have a significant impact on the performance of a firm. The talent management strategy can impact not only the talent level of the individual employees in the organisation but also the leadership in different levels of the organisation. The management of talent and the pipeline is a strategic HRM activity as it impacts the leadership pipeline of the organisation (Cogner Fulmer, 2005). As with the previous two examples, this example of an HR activity leads to improved performance in the organisation. Talent management thus is a driver of the enhanced capability in the organisation and its improved operational and financial performance (Chugh Bhatnagar, 2006). The research works indicated for this example of the development of talent management in an organisation as a strategic HRM action show that this is considered to be a key activity that many organisations pursue. However, the research works have not named the specific organisations utilised in the research works and the case studies consistent with typical confidential studies. Nevertheless, it is clear that talent management is considered to be an important action for organisations and is one activity that is included in the category of strategic HRM initiatives. This is driven by the impact that the initiative has on the performance of the organisation as well as the resulting competitive position of the organisations which are implementing talent management strategies to develop the skills and capabilities of the personnel in the organisation. The talent management includes actions that develop the personnel in the organisation and also attracts and recruits other staff to the org anisation in order to raise the overall talent level that exists in the organisation. The examples are only some of the HR activities that could be considered as strategic HRM. The examples presented are not meant to be exhaustive as there are certainly a number of other actions that can define strategic HRM actions. The examples do show that there are a number of principles that underpin the activities initiated by the HR function in order for these activities to be considered as strategic HRM. The HR activities that are present in an organisation which can be termed strategic HRM activities are those which impact the competitive advantage of the organisation with the HR function driving the development of the initiative and managing the actions related to the initiative. These are also the activities which are part of the typical HRM function but which now involve a strategic aspect in terms of the actions taken particularly as these relate to and support the strategic actions of the organisation. Finally, these are also the activities which generate significant ben efit to the organisation in terms of financial impact or development of skills and capabilities or personal which lead to enhanced competitiveness of the organisation. The examples presented provide an understanding of which HR activities can be part of strategic HRM and which of these activities can be meaningful enough to be considered as part of the concept of strategic HRM. Overall, the main guidance for the actions to be considered as strategic HRM is that the actions of the HR are linked to strategic decision making which impact the firms performance.

Lovers :: Personal Narrative Sex Relationships Essays

Lovers My mother went to Barnard on a full scholarship. She commuted from home, two hours a day on the subway. One night after a Columbia party, she was up a ladder taking down crepe paper when an orange hit her on the back of the head. It thumped to the ground and rolled under a stool, where my father knelt to retrieve it. He tossed the orange across the room to a friend — his intended target — and offered my mother his hand. In my version, she shakes off his attempts to help her down from the ladder. Does not speak to him for months because she’s so offended at being hit on the back of the head with the orange. Looks the other way when he passes on the street. Starts dating his roommate. In my version, the roommate can’t be there for a date they’re supposed to have. He has an emergency to deal with — a death in the family, a last-minute pinball competition at the pizza place, what have you. My father answers her knock with as much grace and charm as he can muster. "Hello," he says. "Are you here to see Bob?" "Yes," she says, stepping cautiously over the threshold. "He isn’t here," my father says. "He had to go to a funeral/pinball semi-final/what-have-you." My mother: "Oh." Of course, she could just step back across the threshold and find another way to spend her evening. But in my version she does not. She sits on the couch, tugging her mini skirt to cover more of her nicely shaped legs. My father brings out a basket of butter crackers and wedges of cheese. They talk about politics, literature. Something. What would my parents discuss during their first conversation? Now, after thirty years of marriage, their communication isn’t even verbal; each speaks through the other’s eyes. But how did they communicate then, when they were still new? Of course, this night kicked off the ravenous affair that would become my parents’ marriage. In my version, they could not keep their eyes (or their hands) off each other. They went everywhere in each others’ company: the dining hall, where my mother sneaked my father in on her meal ticket; the library, where he tossed spitballs into her hair; the movies, where they nuzzled at the back of the room, my father attempting a hand on her thigh, my mother staring straight ahead, her arms and legs rigid.

Learning From Failure: Biosphere Ii Essay

Biosphere II was a project done in Arizona received recognition on 26th September 1991. Eight people; four men and four women were used in the experiment. Biosphere 2 was an air tight structure with its base made of steel pan and surrounded by an above ground structure that was made of glass and steel. Inside the biosphere was all that could be found in the real world. There was a desert, a marsh, a rain forest, a savannah, an agricultural land, an ocean and human Habitat. This was in an effort of creating something close to the earth’s ecosystem. These people were to live on air, water and food produced by plants (Allen & Blake, 2007). The goals of the experiment were to determine the possibility of building an artificial biosphere and the potential of such biosphere surviving. Also incase the biosphere didn’t thrive then the causes would have been established. However, Biosphere II proved to be a great failure which had consumed a lot of resources in its establishment. Trouble started soon as the crew got into biosphere II. First, they experienced a shortage in oxygen supply hindering them from functioning well. The oxygen decreased to low levels such that more of it had to be injected into the system. When the crew were forced to pump in more oxygen into the system in order to sustain them, this indicated that biosphere II was not self reliant. At first they did not figure out what the problem was but they later discovered that was caused by carbon dioxide which had accumulated in the system. The carbon dioxide accumulated at a very high rate especially in the savanna and rain forest regions. This was associated with the presence of high organic matter which the microbes metabolized and in the process consumed a lot of oxygen resulting to high levels of carbon dioxide. It was also expected that the trees would play a very crucial role in regulating amount of carbon dioxide in the air and would have been able to supply the crew with sufficient oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. However, the plants did not seem to accomplish this role instead the level of oxygen kept on decreasing while carbon dioxide kept on increasing a phenomenon that was later discovered to have been caused by concrete that was used to build the biosphere II. Instead of carbon dioxide being used up by plants it reacted with calcium hydroxide a major component of concrete which resulted to formation of water and calcium carbonate. This was confirmed by the scientists after testing the walls and realizing that the inner surface of the walls had calcium carbonate levels which were ten times the level of the outer walls (Alling, Nelson &Silverstone, 1993). While making their selection, the scientists had chosen different species of animals, insects and plants that they thought would survive best in the biosphere II. However, by the end of the project only a few species had managed to survive. The rate of extinction was higher than predicted and most insect species got extinct which had a negative impact on the plants since they were no longer pollinated and thus were unable to propagate themselves. Statistics show that of the 25 species of small vertebrates present in Biosphere II only 6 survived by the end of the mission. However some species were favored by the environment in biosphere II. While others got extinct; ants, cockroaches and katydids flourished together with some plant species such as the morning glory. The morning glory grew vigorously that it almost choked the other plants. The crew had no alternative but invested most of their time working to get food. They experienced a shortage in food supply and faced hunger most of the time. Before the two year period ended the crew had grown 85 percent of the food they consumed and got the remaining15 percent food from their emergency supplies. Since they relied on sunlight which came through the glass to grow food, the winters of 1991 and 1992 affected the amount of food they could grow (Marino, Odum &Thomas, 1999). This proved that the project was incapable of sustaining an ecosystem that was balanced. They also faced various challenges some of which included shortage in clean water. This was as a result of pollution experienced in the water system. Many nutrients accumulated in the water systems therefore polluting it. They had to clean their water using algae mats. Other atmospheric imbalances followed suit where by levels of dinitrogen oxide in the air increased in an alarming rate such that the crew risked brain damage because vitamin B12was synthesized at an extremely slow rate (Allen & Blake, 2007). The experiments shortcomings were also seen when the crew quarreled. The members were supposed to work together as a group in order to bring out the best results but this never happened. Instead they split into groups comprising four members each and got to the point of not talking to each other except when it was necessary to run the biosphere. The lessons that can be learnt from this failed experiment come from the mistakes committed by the scientists. First we learn the importance of taking time to plan whatever we intend to do. Before attempting any thing one should take all measures required for proper functioning of the project. Also another critical factor to consider is the reliability of the materials and equipment to be used in the project (Alling, Nelson &Silverstone, 1993). If proper materials had been used in construction of the biosphere II then the problem of insufficient oxygen could not have occurred. The importance of using qualified personnel also arises. They used an architect who was incompetent this resulted to designing biosphere II with many faults. However what can be learnt from this experiment in general is the importance of relating well with each other. For any thing to succeed then there should be cooperation among people concerned this translates to excellent working conditions which leads to better outcome. References Allen J. & Blake A. (2007) Biosphere 2: the human experiment . New York: Viking publishers. Alling A. , Nelson M. & Silverstone S. (1993) Life under Glass: The Inside Story of Biosphere 2. Oracle: Biosphere Press. Marino B. D. , Odum H. & Thomas M. (1999) Biosphere 2: Research Past and Present Amsterdam: Elsevier publishers.

Elvis Is Still Alive? Essay

For many years there has been many doubts, and controversy about the death of probably the biggest figure of the 20th century, â€Å"The King of Rock N’ Roll†, Elvis Aaron Presley. Many people believe that he still alive and for a lot of reasons in which cannot be blamed for believing so. Elvis Presley is alive and the facts will prove it. After Elvis Presley â€Å"died† on August 16, 1977, there have been numerous alleged sightings of him. Fans have noted alleged discrepancies in the death certificate, reports of a wax dummy in his original coffin and numerous accounts of Presley planning a diversion so he could retire in peace. â€Å"The King† was just 19 years old when he began his career working with Sam Phillips, owner of the legendary Sun Records. Elvis’ first single, â€Å"Heartbreak Hotel†, released in January of 1956 and was a number-one hit. Presley quickly became the face of the newly popular sound of rock and roll for many appeara nces in the network television and successful music records. His gifted voice wasn’t the only thing that made him successful; his unique style of performing was very electrifying and charismatic, that you couldn’t just sit down and watch him perform. By November 1956, he debuted his acting career starring in the movie â€Å"Love Me Tender†. In March 24, 1958, Elvis enlisted into the U.S Army and served for two years and earned the rank of Sergeant. After returning to the United States, Elvis continued his acting career along with his music career and was still on top. On May 1, 1967, Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu after being together for more than seven years and they had a child on February 1,1968 names Lisa Marie; Presley’s only child. On that same year, â€Å"The King† became very unhappy and frustrated with his career; his movies weren’t being a success like he when started back in the ‘60s and his singles were not even reaching the top 40 in the charts. Something needed to change and thus came the famous 68’ Comeback Special that was aired on television, Elvis’ first live performance since 1961, singing his rock and roll hits from back in late ‘50s and other hit singles during his acting career in which put him back in track and once again he quickly became a hit sensation. After that, Presley went on tour for many years with no resting and on 1973; he performed in the history making concert, Aloha From Hawaii that was broadcast worldwide. This was the first global concert satellite broadcast. During that time, Elvis got divorced from Priscilla and it really affected his life and he started to become very depressed and ill. He was addicted to many drugs that he used to gain energy keep doing his concert, to get some sleep and other needs that he was unable to find. Even though he was getting drugs from the doctors, he abused them with no delicacy what so ever. By the year of 1977 he became the complete opposite of his legendary image; incredibly overweight, he could barely move on stage, energy and charisma complete gone and he even had trouble remembering his songs. On August 16, 1977, The King was declared dead from a heart attack, shorlty after , they reported that his death was because a drug over dose. Firstly, we have an author named Gail Brewer – Giorgio who believed that The King faked his death in which inspired her to write a novel on that time in 1977 called Orion and it was a fictional story about a famous person who faked his own death. After the book was released in just a short time, for some reasons the books were nowhere to be found. A woman told the author that when she went to buy the book, she was told that two men in business suit came and bought all of the books. Gail called New York and explained the situation but she never received a feedback about the problem. So she asked herself in an interview; â€Å"why would someone pay an author $60,000 and not put the books back in the store? It just didn’t made sense†. Meanwhile, an investigator of the Los Angeles Sheriff Police Department had an incredibly similar experience. Monty Nicholson wrote a book called â€Å"The Presley Arrangement† in approximately the same period of time. He said; â€Å"Gail Giorgio and myself, did not even know of one another and yet we wrote the same identical facts surrounding the mystery of Elvis’ alleged death from different independent sources†. His book, just like Gail’s â€Å"Orion†, disappeared from the shelves right after it was published. Was this too much of a coincidence? Friends of Monty tried to order the books and the sellers refused to order the book. Were the fictional stories Orion and The Presley Arrangement too close to the thruth? Also, the Memphis Police officially closed the files of the death of Presley before it was even medically or scientifically possible to determine his death. All of the pictures that were taken in the death scene disappeared along with all the notes written by the medical examiners. Gail and Monty viewed a copy of Elvis Presley’s autopsy report and Monty recalled that the autopsy report was â€Å"two pages long, it lacks any of the significant informat ion that is normally found in an autopsy report. And during the course of any normal investigation, this autopsy report would be incomplete and unacceptable†. In the other hand, many fans said that the body that they saw in the casket did not look like Elvis at all. His nose was too flat, nothing like his long, pointy nose. They also said that the body had sweat on him, and bodies don’t sweat. Even Elvis’s cousin, Gene Smith, did not believe that the body in the casket was Elvis. He also said â€Å"his nose looked a little pug, his right sideburn was sticking out, his hairline looked as it has been half pasted or glued on. His hands looked just as smooth as a newborn baby’s behind you know. He was sweatin’ around his hairline, it could have been sweat, it could have been glue I don’t know but um†¦ I just didn’t believe that it was him†, Said Gene Smith. Even if that body really was him, then, why does the body looks like the young version of him back in 1958? This argument is very convincing when the facts are considered. Elvis’s coffin required several pall bearers because it we ighed 900 pounds. Attendants of the funeral reported that the air around the coffin was rather cool. It is suspected that the coffin contained an air conditioning unit to keep a wax body cool – a wax body that was a replica of the King designed to fool funeral-goers. And how did the Presley family get a 900 pound, custom made coffin ready for a funeral that was held on the day after his death? It takes a lot of time to build such an elaborate coffin. And why have the funeral so quickly? Some speculate that the immediacy was intended to make it as difficult as possible for the people who were Elvis’s biggest fans (heads of fan clubs, etc.) to attend the proceedings. It could be a concern that they might recognize the flaws in the wax replica. Elvis was an 8th degree black belt whose hands were rough with calluses, yet the body in the coffin had hands that were soft and pudgy. The body in the coffin had a pug nose and arched eyebrows (unlike Elvis) and most importantly, one of the sideburns on the â€Å"corpse† was loose and falling off. A hairdresser later reported gluing the sideburn back on the body. Back at Elvis’s home, Graceland, there are some curious facts about Presley’s grave. His second named spelled â€Å"Aaron† on the headstone even though he officially changed his name to one â€Å"a† on his birth certificate and that he was not lying beside his mother which he had an incredible bond with her, it wouldn’t make sense if he wasn’t buried next to her, instead, he was buried next to his father’s and grandmother’s grave and that would not be something that Elvis would have wanted that because back when he was â€Å"alive†. He always mentioned that if he would have died, he would have wanted to be buried beside her mother. Four months later after Elvis was reported dead, Mike Joseph and his family went to Graceland to see where Elvis was left to rest. They spend some time there, took some pictures and returned back home. Now what Joseph didn’t notice in many years was that one of the pictures he took showed a man sitting in a chair looking outside the house at the fans that walked by his headstone. Kodak examined those pictures and said that the pictures are original and were not altered at all. They were taken in sequence, uncut, and the motion number said that it was manufactured in 1977. Elvis Presley was involved in many law enforcement, he had a lot of love for law enforcement. Elvis was connected with the Memphis Police, in Denver, even the L.A.P.D. Elvis was always very interested in Law and Order, and he always wanted to work in the Federal Government. Having his desire of obtaining a Federal Badge, he one day wrote a letter to the president at that time, Richard Nixon, while The King was headed to Washington offering his services as an agent at large because he knew that he had the power and fame to get pretty much everything. So you can tell that he could easily fake a death with the power he had in the Federal Government. Gail Brewer took a copy of Elvis’s letter to Nixon and a copy of his death certificate and by comparing the writings she claims that Elvis wrote his own death certificate (see pictures at the end). Monty Nicholson asked himself that if Elvis faked his death, he would have need money to support himself. So he went to research his question and found out that three months before Elvis died, he cashed in three life insurance policy for two million dollars, shortly after his death there was a private checking account with an excess of one million dollars that mysteriously disappeared and there is still a remaining insurance policy that remains to be cashed. By the years, there were more sightings of The King. Gail Brewer received a phone call from a nurse saying that a man that looked identical to Elvis Presley entered the hospital to visit Muhammad Ali. The King and Ali were very close friends back then. The day Ali left the hospital, a picture was taken, him leaving with three men and the last one on the back was the guy that looked exactly like Elvis, or maybe it is him (see picture at the end). And lastly, the most recent rumor is about a mysterious man named Jon Cotner and many say that he is The King. He sings the same, he looks so much like Elvis and one more important detail and is that he talked like Elvis Presley. There have been many Elvis impersonators over the years, many could mimic his singing, but none can mimic his heart. The way Jon speaks is just too similar like The King did when he made jokes and made a fool out of himself during concerts, one thing I’ve been always sure is that no one could be as cool, smooth and have the swag like Elvis. Just go and listen to a cover song Jon Cotner made and compare it with Elvis’s song, you won’t tell the difference. Try â€Å"Can’t Help Falling In Love† (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtOr2xPOeeg , Jon Cotner’s cover/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH9Gw0G52_4 , Elvis Presley’s live version). In the end, Elvis had many reasons to fake his death. Elvis’s life was in danger. He had recently lost $10,000,000 in an airplane/real estate deal with a California based organization called the â€Å"Fraternity† that had links to the Mafia. It is speculated that he corroborated with the government to expose the organized crime ring in exchange for protection – perhaps in the form of a new life and identity compliments of the witness relocation program. Elvis was a prisoner of his own fame. He had many other reasons to leave his life behind. Because of his incredible popularity, he was the recipient of several death threats, and he was concerned about the safety of his wife and daughter. Sometimes when he wanted to leave Graceland, he would send out look-alikes to distract would be followers. Elvis was also known to ride in the trunk of someone else’s car to avoid detection. Once, when he fell ill in Las Vegas, he couldn’t get proper medical attenti on because the hospital was overwhelmed by fans. At the time of his alleged death, Elvis was nearing the end of his career. He was 42, his hair was graying, he was grossly overweight, and his voice was starting to weaken. He was going down hill, and he was too proud to go out with a whimper. He would never want his fans to see him in such an unhealthy condition. Elvis had shown a fascination with death on several occasions. In the days leading up to his alleged death he was reported to have visited funeral homes at odd hours of the night with close friends. Was he doing research? Elvis once faked his death by setting up an elaborate shooting in which would be killer fired blanks at Elvis who had a blood pack which he discharged. It was Elvis’s intention to see how the people closest to him would react to his death. Perhaps what he learned convinced him to do it for real. Also, one of Elvis’ favorite books is the spiritual Autobiography of Yogi. One of the central themes of this book is the relinquishing of one’s wealth and earthly possessions to achieve spiritual oneness. Elvis could do this, as well as address his other concerns of sanity and safety by faking his death and living in exile. Elvis had the means to fake his own death. He is accused of destroying himself with drugs. In reality, Elvis was a pharmaceutical expert. He took a lot of drugs, but he knew what he was doing and was extremely careful. He knew what drugs he could self-administer to create a deathlike state. Further, Elvis’s experience with the martial arts was such that he could slow his heart rate and breathing in order to feign death. Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had once created a new identity for himself. He came to this county as an illegal immigrant from Holland, but through various connections managed to create an elaborate identity complete with a passport, birth certificate, driver’s license, and social security number. He would have known how to give Elvis a second life. In addition to Elvis’s ties to the government through his testimony against the Fraternity, Elvis was known to interact with the President of the United States. He was reported in government documents to use the name John Burrows as an alias when he wanted to travel. Some people believe that Elvis worked for the government as a drug agent. He did, after all have extensive contact with many people in the music business who, as we know, tend to dabble in illegal substance. And, of course, we must allow that Elvis’s connections to the government gave him access to the Witness Relocation Program. Now you can clearly see that Elvis Presley is no doubt alive and is just trying to live in peace and for reasons in which he can’t be blamed; the loss of his mother really made a negative impact in his life, the divorce with Priscilla that what bother this not only was because she was the love of his life but also just because he was â€Å"the great Elvis† and always had it his way, this time he didn’t. He definitely had no intensions what so ever to keep doing tours and continuing his career when he was so full with depression and disappointment. So he took the only escape option he had to find peace without taking his life; faking it. Will we one day see The King come out one day? Or has Elvis left the building forever and stay hidden? In the end, it doesn’t really matter what the news report says, what investigators say or d o. Whether it’s the truth or not, only one man has the power to end all this conspiracy and that is Elvis Presley himself and one day, the truth will be revealed. Elvis Presley’s casket photo Elvis’s misspelled grave stone. Elvis’s letter to Nixon (left) Elvis’s death certificate (right) The man on the background that’s been claimed to be Elvis Presley accompanied by Muhammad Ali. Picture of Jon Cotner (left) and a picture of Jon and Elvis mixed together (right)

Italian Phrases for Shopping in Italy

Italian Phrases for Shopping in Italy When you arrive in Italy, shopping in any context- like at the bakery, the pharmacy, or just any negozio (store)- is inevitable. Plus, who doesn’t bring home a suitcase brimming with local oils and products that read â€Å"Made in Italy†? With that in mind, here are the basic phrases you need to know that can help you get by in any shopping situation. General Shopping Phrases/Vocabulary Quant’à ¨? - How much is it?Quanto costa? - How much is it?Quanto spendo? - How much do I spend? TIP: Use â€Å"quant’à ¨Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"quanto spendo† when you have many items and â€Å"quanto costa† when you have just one item. Posso pagare con il bancomat? - Can I pay with my debit card?Accettate carte di credito? - Do you (all) accept credit cards?Accettiamo soltanto i contanti. - We only accept cash.Sto cercando†¦ - I’m looking for†¦ TIP: Notice that the phrase above does not use any preposition like â€Å"per†, for example, to stand in as â€Å"for†. Some phrases in Italian don’t need the preposition in the same way that we do in English, which serves as just another friendly reminder to be careful about directly translating from English to Italian. Sto solo guardando. - I’m just looking.Poi? - Anything else?Qualcos’altro? - Something else?Basta cosà ¬. - That’s all.Vorrei†¦, per favore. - I would like†¦, please.Prendo†¦ - I’ll take†¦Ha bisogno di aiuto? - Do you need help? (formal)Mi piace. - I like it.Non mi piace. - I don’t like it. TIP: If the object you like or don’t like from the above two phrases is plural, like â€Å"le scarpe - the shoes†, then say instead â€Å"Mi piacciono† or â€Å"Non mi piacciono†. È troppo caro. - It’s too expensive.Ha qualcosa di meno costoso? - Do you have anything cheaper? (formal)È un regalo. - It’s a gift.Vuole la confezione regalo? - Would you like it gift-wrapped? (formal)È fatto a mano.  - It’s handmade.È artigianale.  - It’s artisanal/small-scale.La commessa - Shop assistant Phrases for Shopping at a Market Whether you’re going to un mercato all’aperto (an open-air market) or un supermercato (a supermarket), these phrases will help you navigate the experience. Quanto costa al chilo? - How much does it cost per kilo?Quelli come si chiamano? - What are those called?Un etto di†¦(agnello). - 100 grams of†¦(lamb).Come si puà ² cucinare†¦(il vitello)? - How does one cook†¦(veal)?(Otto) fette di†¦(prosciutto cotto), per favore. - (8) slices of...(cooked prosciutto), please.Avete...(le patate)? - Do you have†¦(potatoes)?Posso assaggiare (il pecorino), per favore? - Can I try (the pecorino), please? Phrases for Shopping at a Clothing Store Use these phrases to help you confidently shop for clothing and accessories from the trendiest shops on il corso (the main street) to i mercati delle pulci (flea markets). Sono/Porto/Indosso una taglia†¦(media). - I’m a medium.Vuole provarlo? - Do you want to try it on?Vorrei provare questi, dove sono i camerini?- I’d like to try these on, where are the fitting rooms? TIP: In the phrase above, â€Å"lo† would be used if the item were singular and masculine, like il vestito - the dress. However, if it were singular and feminine, like la sciarpa - the scarf, it would be â€Å"Vuole provarla†? While it’s important to make everything agree, don’t stress if you can’t remember the gender of the object you have. You’ll be safe with using the pronoun â€Å"lo†. Dove sono i camerini? - Where are the fitting rooms?Non mi sta bene. - It doesn’t fit me well.È comodo. - It’s comfortable.Questi (stivali) sono scomodi. - These (boots) are uncomfortable.Preferisco (la rosa). - I prefer pink.Vorrei cambiare questo, per favore. - I would like to exchange this, please.Stai veramente bene con (quel vestito). - You look great in that dress. (informal)L’alta moda - High fashion To get a more detailed description of how to shop for clothes in Italy, check out this article. Types of Stores There are an endless amount of specialty shops in Italy, so here are the names of each of the most popular ones in case you need to ask on how to get to one or need a recommendation. Il centro commerciale - Shopping centerLa bottega - WorkshopIl negozio - StoreIl negozio dell’usato - Second-hand storeL’edicola - NewsstandLa gioielleria - Jewelry shopLa profumeria - Perfume shopLa libreria - BookshopLa tabaccheria - Tobacco shop TIP: Technically this is a tobacco shop, but it is more of a convenience store where you can cigarettes, magazines, bus tickets, and recharge your phone. Il supermercato - SupermarketLa farmacia - PharmacyLa tintoria - DrycleanersLa pasticciera - Pastry shopLa macelleria- ButcherLa latteria - Milk cheese shopLa panetteria - BakeryLa rosticceria - DelicatessenIl fruttivendolo - GreengrocerLa cartoleria - Stationery shop

Causes of Water Pollution and the Present Environmental Solution

Causes of Water Pollution and the Present Environmental Solution Water is a special substance because through its natural form it can replenish and purify itself by allowing impurities to clear up through the process known as sedimentation. It can also dilute the impurities to a position where they contain harmless elements. Conversely, this natural process takes a lot of time, and therefore becomes impossible when there are excessive impurities that have contaminated the water.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Water Pollution and the Present Environmental Solution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Human beings contribute greatly towards polluting the water that they use. Prolonged pollution of water has even caused some plants to grow in the water, which pose danger to the living entities that have their inhabitants in the water. This paper shall succinctly explore on causes of water pollution and the present environmental solution towards the ongoing pollution of water. The term pollution can be defined in various ways. Water pollution happens when energy and varying materials are set free, thus debasing the value of water for users. In another perspective, water pollution comprises of all the waste products that the water cannot break down in its natural form. In simpler terms, any substance that is added to water and cannot be broken is referred as Pollution. In certain instances, the root cause of pollution may be through nature itself, for instance, when water runs all the way through soils containing acidic components. Human beings are however, the greater causes of water pollution (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Source of Pollution Water pollution has two major sources: the point and the nons of non-point sources include fertilizers, animal and chemical wastes, wastes from mining factories among others (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Categories of Water Pollution The first category of pollution is based mainly on human and the anima l waste. Such kind of wastes is called the environmental waste. They are capable of producing a source of energy, which enhances growth of bacteria. The source of energy produced (organic compound) is transformed into carbon dioxide and water, which when in large components can lead to atmospheric pollution and acidic rain. The type of pollution that is formed here is widespread and very difficult to control than any other type of pollution. The second category is the type of pollution that results from sewerage treatment. Such water contains components of phosphates and nitrates and these are directly discharged into water. Such pollution is very hazardous to both the human and aquatic life.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Heat is the third category of water pollution. When the temperature of water increases, the amount of the oxygen gas that is dissolved in wat er tends to lower. In some instances, such kind of pollution may be said to be natural. Mostly, the industrial equipments and other plants may be cleaned and cooled respectively by use hot springs and shallow ponds, then the used water is discharged into water body without being treated. Consequently, these tend to decrease the aquatic life since the oxygen component is also affected. The fourth and most common source of water pollution is sediment pollution. The organic particles and other minerals from the land are washed and blown into water sources. Such source of pollution is very difficult to identify since it emanates from the non-point sources. The fifth and most widespread source of water pollution is the discharge of chemicals into water, which mainly comes from the industrial wastes. Controlling this source of water pollution has proven difficult since industries are still discharging waste products into water sources; farmers are still using agro-chemicals. The last cate gory is water pollution through radioactive pollutants. These comprise of discharges from production industries, from hospitals and Uranium Mines. Radioactive pollutants are considered hazardous to both human and aquatic life since they take a long period before they become inactive and harmless (Environment Canada). Environmental Solutions to Water pollution Water pollution is an issue that has been present in our midst for ages. It has been there since time immemorial, despite the fact that its relentless has lately struck environmentalists all over the world. Implementation of strict laws concerning the way forward to prevent water pollution have been amended year in year out, but they have always lacked a follow up since they have always fallen on deaf ears. In fact, the problem has become adverse and this has compelled the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to declare most of the lake, some streams, and even rivers as being dangerous for both swimming and fishing. Therefore, besides implementing ways on how this issue can be prevented, there is also a need to put to a stop this problem. In that connection, the following are some of the present water pollution solutions that we can implement and make this world a better place to be (Environment Canada).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Water Pollution and the Present Environmental Solution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Charity Begins at Home Before we start pointing fingers to those we think have greatly contributed towards polluting water, it is advisable to have a look on the inside. Each one of us has contributed in one way or another in polluting the environment. Having done this, therefore, puts us into a better position of implementing some changes within ourselves, which may turn into a revolution: ensuring that the discharge of the wastes from whichever sources is directed towards the right places and they are treate d. Setting up programs to ensure that the septic tanks are periodically cleaned might also be a step ahead that one ought to implement within his or her locality and in this case everyone within the neighborhood should be involved. Above all, kids should also be educated on the importance of saving water, as this is one of the major solutions in saving water. This will help in maintaining the old septic systems. In addition, refraining from using plastic equipments saves life when it comes to water pollution. Plastics are said to be non-biodegradable and therefore when dumped they tend to release chemicals and products that becomes hazardous to life. Amending On Present Laws Amending and making Water protection laws more stringent is the only possible way in fighting with those that cause water pollution. Any person found breaking the laid down rules and regulations concerning preservation of water should be highly penalized. Likewise, it may prove to be the most difficult solution to implement since most of those people involved in polluting the environment are those in power. This will only become efficient and effective to all, if there is a genuine concern for human and aquatic life (Environment Canada) Prevent Deforestation There is a linking point between the causes of environmental pollution. For instance, a forest plays the major part as main source of rainwater and infuses it up. Conversely, due to the extensive expansion of emerging companies and residential premises, that occurs at the costs of forests, and thus resulting into widespread deforestation, the role of the forests comes into a standstill. The resultant is that rainwater flows into streams carrying sediments and other particles into water bodies. The only way to stop this is practicing a forestation (Terra Daily). Stopping Oil Spills For ages, the oil discharged from the industries has affected the marine life. The only possible and best way to evade from this problem is to increase the r ate at which the vessels that carry this oil moves. Government interventions through inspecting the way ships moves, and also provide civic education about the repercussions of such problems (Environment Canada). Conclusion Water is a natural substance that is essential for living things, and requires protection from any pollution. The points discussed in this paper are just few of the possible solutions for water pollution. If we fail to implement water pollution solutions and analyze this major environmental issue, human life and the natural environment may experience difficulties coexisting in the world.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Prevention of water pollution is one of the major steps in having a sustainable â€Å"green† environment. Governments need to set up laws that protect the environment from pollutions. Having international laws that are driven to educate and guide people on environmental protection will benefit all things that depend on water. It is therefore important to focus on preserving water sources and ensure that natural resources are used wisely, be it for production or for business services. Bibliography Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Annual Checkup. Sept. 2004. Web. cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg/checkup.html Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Down on the Farm: Water Laws. Sept. 2004. Web. cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg/agriculture.html Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. On the Nutrient Trail. Sept. 2004. Web. cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg/wastewater.html Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Up the Creek. Sept. 2004. Web. cbc.ca/manitoba/features/lakewinnipeg /creek.html City of Saskatoon. Wastewater Treatment Process. 2007. Web. saskatoon.ca/org/water_treatment/wastewater_treatment/ww_process.asp Environment Canada. Clean Water Life depends on. Jul. 2004.Web. ec.gc.ca/water/en/info/pubs/FS/e_FSA3.htm Environment Canada. Quick Facts. 2006. Web. ec.gc.ca/water/en/e_quickfacts.htm Environment Canada. The State of Canada’s Environment – 1996. 1996. Web. ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/english/SOER/1996report/Doc/1-6-4-4-3-2-1.cfm Environment Canada. Water Pollution. 2004. Web. ec.gc.ca/water/en/manage/poll/e_poll.htm Terra Daily. Canada Will Not Buy Pollution Rights. Oct. 2006. Web. www.terradaily.com/reports/Canada_Will_Not_Buy_Pollution_Rights_999.html

ISLAM IN TODAY'S WORLD Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ISLAM IN TODAY'S WORLD - Research Paper Example Despite this view, there is plenty of sociological, anthropological, and political evidence to support the theory that there are very large differences between populations of Muslims in places like India, Indonesia, Iran, and Europe (Croucher, Turner, Anarbaeva, Oommen, & Borton, 2008). In each location, the practices of the Islamic faith are different in very significant ways, which could create some potential for conversation between Muslims and non-Muslims in these countries. A potentially fruitful aspect to look at specifically in the study of Islam in today’s world is examining how Islam is contrasted in its properties from Christianity and Judaism, and whether communication between these two sets of people is possible. It seems very likely that a healthy dialogue is very much possible, especially given the flattening of the world’s power structure and the coalescence around the global economy, as contrasted to economies centered on the religions of nations. Branch ing out from this topic, the hypothesis is offered stating that the development of the global economy will make communication a much more likely prospect and that is Muslims decide to reach out in terms of communication, the economic and political underdevelopment seen in primarily Muslim countries may be corrected. Thus, this is not only an exercise in cultural understanding and the factors that make this possible, but also a prescription for correcting some of the social ills in countries that reject communication with other faiths. The Effect of the Global Economy on Communication and Perceptions between Muslims and non-Muslims in the 21st Century Countries in the modern world may be underdeveloped for any number of reasons. These could include a lack of resources, natural disasters, or a manmade disaster such as a devastating war. Most of the time, however, countries are underdeveloped because of the philosophical stance they take toward other countries. In many cases, this phil osophical stance is the result of a religious exceptionalism measured above its neighbors. This religious view informs the political, and thus drives the country toward isolation. Iran, like many other countries in the Middle East, treats itself as superior because of its high level of integration of politics and religion. North Korea, even though it lacks an official religion, regardless treats the state itself as worthy of worship; thus, the country seeks isolation from the other nations of the world. This kind of isolation inevitably results in underdevelopment that creates an environment for both a lack of understanding of cultural differences and economic underdevelopment. The United States, which is relatively open to other cultures, has a high rate of economic development because the culture values the process of doing business more than the identities of those doing business. It seems that communication between different religions, particularly between Muslims and non-Muslim s, is a crucial aspect of the cultural understanding that is necessary for the Middle East and other predominantly Muslim countries to escape from under the weight of their underdevelopment. This requires a better cultural understanding of Muslims from the perspective of the non-Muslim, and an understanding of non-Muslims from the p

Immigration and asylum law (uk) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Immigration and asylum law (uk) - Assignment Example In advising Sanko on the merits of his application for asylum each of these issues are considered. Fear of Persecution The first important step in considering Sanko’s application for asylum is determining whether or not Sanko can legitimately claim refugee status. According to Article 1(2) of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951, refugee status is justifiable when: Owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.1 Based on Article 1(2) of the Refugee Convention, the main issue is whether or not Sanko’s fear of persecution is well- founded and whether or not Sanko reasonably fears that he will not be accorded protection against the perceived probability of persecution. Based on the facts of the case for discussion, Sanko fears that given that his car was stolen and used in a political murder, there are fears that his imputed political connections makes him vulnerable to execution, unlawful killing and torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the DRC. If indeed these fears are real, Sanko then has a claim for refugee status under Article 1(2) of the Refugee Convention on the grounds of political opinion. In order to determine whether or not Sanko’s fears are well-founded the Home Office Border Agency report on the DRC is instructive. According to the Home office’s report on the DRC, up to 2012, there have been significant reports of political murders and human rights abuses in the DRC and there is no sign of these incidents tapering off any time soon. It also appears that civilia n lives and human rights are endangered by the ruling political party, the opposition, the military and law enforcement.2 In MM (UDPS members – Risk on return) Democratic Republic of Congo CG the appellant appealed against a decision by the Home Office to refuse the appellant’s application for asylum and leave to enter the UK. The Immigration Appeals Tribunal noted that although it continues to accept that â€Å"low level members/sympathisers of† of the opposition â€Å"will not be at real risk on return to the DRC in the current climate,† however, it was too soon in the political transition to establish a blanket rule.3 The tribunal therefore stated that: The risk category to those having or being perceived to have a military or political profile in opposition to the government is one that fluctuates in accordance with the political situation.4 Sanko’s political association is not revealed. However, his political profile is one in which he is perc eived as opposed to the government. This conclusion can be drawn from the fact that his car was used in murder of a government minister by rebels fighting the government. The fact that Sanko learned that his car was used in the murder of the government minister is evidence that Sanko can be and very probably has been identified as the killer and will be persecuted as

Engaging Communication Technologies of the 1950s Assignment - 1

Engaging Communication Technologies of the 1950s - Assignment Example Moreover, the advent of digital media has brought the conditions of the old technologies into relief, making the world more conscious of the media environment (Winston, P. 12). This paper explores the technological advances in the media industry across the world in the 1950s. In particular, the paper discusses how technological changes affected the lives and perceptions of people in different regions of the world, comparing how technology was used then and its modern use. Among the decades of the second half of the 20th Century, perhaps the 1950s was regarded as the most conservative. Nevertheless, it is during the same period that different regions of the world experienced many advances and changes in technologies and their uses. In this regard, a lot changed in the way people carried out their routine activities as work became easier to do. Given that World War II had just ended less than a decade ago and the world had come to appreciate the use of machinery and technology during the war, different governments and individual scientists embarked on developing new technologies in addition to improving on the existing ones (Winston, P. 31). The technologies that people merely anticipated during and before World War II began to become a reality for many of the people, more so in the Western World and some regions of Asia. Among the sectors that benefitted most from the technological developments of the 1950s was the communication and transport sector, particularly the media industry. It is therefore not be realistic and proper to label the 1950s a sleepy or a conservative decade. As far as media technology is concerned, the 1950s was one of the most productive and revolutionary decades. For example, a rapid change was recorded in both television and radio technology and content. In addition, there were developments in the technologies related to newspaper

Project Management - Benchmarking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Management - Benchmarking - Essay Example Organisations therefore critically scrutinise the diverse systems within the organisation as measured against the industry leaders or yardstick to detect the performance gaps that impede their success through a benchmarking process. Subsequently, the identified shortcomings are revised with an aim of either matching the benchmarked organisations or surpassing them hence evolves exceptional strategies. This paper therefore seeks to explore the concept and working of benchmarking as an effective operational tool that can be used to evaluate and augment project management. The discussion will therefore centre on the significance and use of benchmarking as enhancement scheme in delivering project and business value. Benchmarking has being described as an enduring mutually beneficial search for, and application of significantly better practices that leads to superior vigorous performances. An efficient and enduring mechanism for organisations to determine areas they can enhance in view of their objectives, targets and existing approaches as well as functions (BEST, 2004: 5). It is thus the evaluation of both the performance of the organization’s systems and the how those systems function against the pertinent yardstick firms to gain useful tactics for growth (Reh, 2009). In project management, benchmarking identifies instruments, project administration, dexterity and individuals as the decisive segments to use as their benchmarks. The finest methods in vital, running, and closure of the projects are thus studied to match varying conditions. Attempts are then made to detect how it was conducted better (EIRMA, 1998). Benchmarking is therefore nowadays an entrenched tool for enhancing the performance of projects through vital assessment of decisive methods and contrasting these intensely against those who achieve better results. There are four types of benchmarking practices that are used to enhance project management and add business value but which can still

Marketing strategy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Marketing strategy - Coursework Example Until the end of 2013, almost 5oo million iPhones were sold. This clearly indicates that people want to use these mobiles, despite the fact that these gadgets are relatively expensive. Moreover, the company preferred to focus on the demands of its various customers, and it offers them with packages that suited their needs. In this regard one can find the company using Kohler’s advice. Philip Kohler is a reference when it comes to marketing; and according to him marketing is about creating genuine customer value, he further elaborates that selling the product does not complete the story, marketing campaigns must be designed in a way where customers become a priority over the services offered or products available(Armstrong, Kotler, Trifts, & Buchwitz, 2014; Hollensen, 2015). Mostly, marketing campaigns are product focused, however, from the point of view of Kohler; it needs to focus on the consumers (Armstrong, Kotler, Trifts, & Buchwitz, 2014). The market of cellular phones is perhaps one of the most rapidly expanding arena, and the competition among mobile brands is severe. It is always hard for the newcomers to come in and make their position. In this regard Apple turned out to be successful; it not only made its place, but also improved its ranking among the mobiles. There was a time when Nokia, Motorola, and etc. dominated the market, but today iPhone is one of the leading brands. Initially the company focused on people who were old customers of Apple, and later on the marketing strategy of the company entered the phase of expansion. Today, there are more iPhone has become one of the most sold brand of

Birth of a Nation Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Birth of a Nation - Movie Review Example However, some of the scenes depicting the civil war are unnecessarily lengthy while the death of soldiers is shown in a rather funny manner. The movie can simply be termed as a portrayal of the dark side of the cruel and unjust that progresses towards an imminent controversy. While the message delivered by the film is indeed horrible to imagine, especially under modern times, the most notable aspect is that all the black characters in the film were in fact played by white people. The movie is worth noting for incredible camerawork and narrative techniques that provides for an easy understanding even without the existence of any audio (it is a silent movie). The locations used to film the scenes are easily recognizable as most of the shots were taken from a single angle thereby helping viewers recollect locations from previous scenes. Much attention was also given to the interiors thereby making them resemble more like rooms rather than filming sets. While the story aims to present a strong opinion of a section of the society, the enactments are too exaggerated at several places throughout the film. Thus, the movie could have been shorter by many unnecessary and unrelated scenes.

Project Management - Benchmarking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Management - Benchmarking - Essay Example Organisations therefore critically scrutinise the diverse systems within the organisation as measured against the industry leaders or yardstick to detect the performance gaps that impede their success through a benchmarking process. Subsequently, the identified shortcomings are revised with an aim of either matching the benchmarked organisations or surpassing them hence evolves exceptional strategies. This paper therefore seeks to explore the concept and working of benchmarking as an effective operational tool that can be used to evaluate and augment project management. The discussion will therefore centre on the significance and use of benchmarking as enhancement scheme in delivering project and business value. Benchmarking has being described as an enduring mutually beneficial search for, and application of significantly better practices that leads to superior vigorous performances. An efficient and enduring mechanism for organisations to determine areas they can enhance in view of their objectives, targets and existing approaches as well as functions (BEST, 2004: 5). It is thus the evaluation of both the performance of the organization’s systems and the how those systems function against the pertinent yardstick firms to gain useful tactics for growth (Reh, 2009). In project management, benchmarking identifies instruments, project administration, dexterity and individuals as the decisive segments to use as their benchmarks. The finest methods in vital, running, and closure of the projects are thus studied to match varying conditions. Attempts are then made to detect how it was conducted better (EIRMA, 1998). Benchmarking is therefore nowadays an entrenched tool for enhancing the performance of projects through vital assessment of decisive methods and contrasting these intensely against those who achieve better results. There are four types of benchmarking practices that are used to enhance project management and add business value but which can still

Birth of a Nation Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Birth of a Nation - Movie Review Example However, some of the scenes depicting the civil war are unnecessarily lengthy while the death of soldiers is shown in a rather funny manner. The movie can simply be termed as a portrayal of the dark side of the cruel and unjust that progresses towards an imminent controversy. While the message delivered by the film is indeed horrible to imagine, especially under modern times, the most notable aspect is that all the black characters in the film were in fact played by white people. The movie is worth noting for incredible camerawork and narrative techniques that provides for an easy understanding even without the existence of any audio (it is a silent movie). The locations used to film the scenes are easily recognizable as most of the shots were taken from a single angle thereby helping viewers recollect locations from previous scenes. Much attention was also given to the interiors thereby making them resemble more like rooms rather than filming sets. While the story aims to present a strong opinion of a section of the society, the enactments are too exaggerated at several places throughout the film. Thus, the movie could have been shorter by many unnecessary and unrelated scenes.

The development of new reproductive technologies Essay Example for Free

The development of new reproductive technologies Essay Explain some of the religious and moral issues relevant to the development of new reproductive technologies. [35] The development of new reproductive technologies have revolutionised the way society views infertility. However, many object to methods such as IVF, cloning, ICSI and PGD for moral and religious reasons. In examining these issues, a good place to start is IVF. IVF – in vitro fertilisation – is one of the most commonly used reproductive technologies. This method bypasses the need for intercourse to conceive; embryos are instead created in a lab and implanted into a mother. It can either use gametes from two parents, or in the case of a homosexual couple some of the material will be donated. From a human-rights perspective everyone has the right to a family life, which some interpret to mean a right to IVF. However, even from a purely secular point of view there are moral problems with IVF. For example, the new ICSI method bypasses many of the bodys natural defences for weeding out unfit sperm and therefore the child is at a higher risk of genetic abnormalities. Additionally, some feminists view reproductive technology with suspicion. Feminists refer to a `pro-natalist ideology prevalent in Western society, whereby women are encouraged to believe that their fulfilment and happiness depends upon their being able to bear children. They fear women may be coerced into IVF. The main issue that Christians would have with IVF is that many embryos are created and then destroyed. More embryos are produced in order to increase the chances of successful implantation, but in the UK you cannot use more than two embryos per IVF cycle. This creates spare embryos that are discarded, experimented upon or frozen for later use. The majority of Christians believe that life and personhood are intertwined, and both begin at conception. Christians believe in the sanctity of life, meaning that all human life is created in God’s image and has intrinsic worth. The most important verse they turn to is part of the Decalogue: â€Å"do not kill.† Moreover, Psalm 139 says, â€Å"you knit me together in my mother’s womb.† Therefore the discarding of spare embryos is murder of an innocent life. As with any issue, denominational opinions differ. The Roman Catholic Church defends traditional family structures and view IVF as unnatural. They published a document in 1987called Respect for Human Life in its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation. This emphasised the principles concerning the sanctity of life laid down much earlier in the Papal Encyclical, Humanae Vitae of 1968. In summary it claimed that children were a gift from God and not a commodity, and the proper place for children is within marriage. The church has expressed fears that IVF trivialises intercourse. Protestant churches tend to take a more lenient view. For example, the Free Presbyterian Church accepts IVF provided that the couple are married, spare embryos are not created and no donors are used. Both the Methodist Church and the Church of England are quite positive about all forms of IVF and even permit research on spare embryos up to 14 days old because it can be of great help to doctors researching genetic diseases, although embryos should not be created solely for this purpose. Other more drastic forms of reproductive technology pose a bigger problem for the churches. The successful cloning of Dolly the Sheep opened up a debate on the potential of human cloning and saviour siblings. Reproductive cloning would devalue individuality and result in negative psychological effects in the cloned person. Cloned animals tend to have a shorter lifespan and there is a genuine fear that a sub-class of humans could be produced in order for their organs to be harvested. This commodification of life sounds like science fiction, but according to Paul Ramsey it is a real threat. Cloning also removes the need for a male. In the case of Dolly, she had three ‘mothers’: one provided the egg, another the DNA and a third carried the cloned embryo to term. The embryo was given an electric shock in order to begin the division process. For Christians this disrupts God’s design for reproduction and parenthood. The only form of cloning that some churches would permit is therapeutic cloning, when a person’s stem cells can be used to produce organs that are an exact match. Mary Seller, a member of the Church of Englands Board of Social Responsibility, states, Cloning, like all science, must be used responsibly. Cloning humans is not desirable.† Furthermore, another key form of reproductive technology is PGD pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. This process can eliminate genetic diseases by selection (negative therapy) and can also alter the genes to ‘improve’ an embryo (positive therapy). It can be used to prevent suffering for both the child and parents. Moral objects are raised because, just like IVF, negative therapy involves fertilising several embryos with the intent of destroying those with the disease. This is dehumanising to disabled people, because it suggests that society would be better off without them. Positive therapy takes it to another level, and could result in a class of humans that are genetically modified for maximum health, intelligence and appearance. This destroys individualism and Christians refer to it as, â€Å"playing God.† According to the Free Presbyterian Church, â€Å"remember that each time cells are harvested for the treatment of someone who is sick, a new and sacred lif e is callously ended.† Moving on, reproductive technology can be evaluated according to traditional ethical principles. Starting with Utilitarianism, Patrick Steptoe is quoted as stating that It is a fact that there is a biological desire to reproduce.† If this is the case, then the maximum amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people will be achieved if they are able to reproduce, even if they need IVF or other interventions. Since successful IVF treatment will bring an enormous amount of happiness utilitarians are in agreement with such treatments. In the case of an infertile couple the utilitarian will look at the options available and strive towards to goal of conception. Likewise, if PGD and cloning can help alleviate human suffering it will be supported by utilitarians. Situation ethics bases the morality of an action on the circumstances that surround it. The only underlying principle is that we should always choose the most loving course of action, and there is no absolute morality. Whether an infertile couple should have access to IVF is based entirely on their individual situation. Natural law, on the other hand, is not so accepting. It is similar to the view the Roman Catholic Church takes. IVF and other technologies are unnatural and therefore immoral. Some criticise this theory because they claim that it is no more unnatural then the countless other forms of human intervention such as when we have an operation. Ultimately, reproductive technology causes us to rethink our views on family, marriage, sex and what makes a mother. Regardless of their views, Christians should be compassionate towards those suffering from the effects of infertility. You cannot understand their situation unless you have experienced it personally.

Child Labor in Philippine

Child Labor in Philippine All people were born with rights. Children are people as well; so, children also have theirs. Their right have been violated from child labor. Child labor is defined as, the employment of a child in a business or industry especially in violation of state or federal statutes prohibiting the employment of children under a specified age. Obviously, child labor has been a big social problem from over the world, mainly the third wrodl countries or developing country such as Philippines. This paper will argue the cases of child laborers, specifically in the city and in provinces of the Philippines. The social problem in Philippines, the government has ways to manage and improve it or not or even made it disappeared or not. It is a known fact that the disadvantages outnumber the advantages of child labor. There are three points, so that it is easier to view the advantages and the disadvantages of the said problem. Having a history background of Philippines which will have understand what is going on better. The purpose of this argument paper is to present the increasing amount of child labor in Philippines and how they were harm. Another would be to discuss the effects of child labor to the family, economy, and to the self. Lastly, the paper will suggest ways to stop or reduce child labor. In the pass industrial background of child labor first appeared with the development of the developing countrys system. In this type of business a dealer bought raw materials to be put out to the homes of worker to be spun, woven, sewn, or handled in some other materials. This allows a division of labor and a level of specialization among different types of people. Products are paid by pieces, and children were commonly used at whatever task they could perform. In England and North America, this system was important from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century and is still being seen up to the present in some industries and, in some country including Philippines. (Labor) The kids were forced to beg on the streets and help making money for the professional beggars. The children that are prostitute help trading with the tourist. The girls were used as a servant in a private home and being treated no better than slave. Many children were brought from the dumpsites and put on the street to make money. Children are being use as a runner helping distribute illegal drugs in to the city. The nubile girl working as a striper and night and teenage exposing their skin than necessary on the theater screen. Truly, child labor has many faces. Children performed these can either endangers their health or safety, interferes with their education or prevent them from playing other activities that are important to their development. The children can not really survive. (Heineman, 2001) Most of the children must be kept inside so that they could not be seen by the public. They would mostly be working in factories at night or as prostitutes at night. Cloth factory in Philippine uses child labor to produce goods and export the goods to the United States. (Deshpande, 2008) The reason the number of child labor is increasing because they were taken from other province and were promised with good live. Another is that they were forced to work due to poverty. Since industrious works are more suitable for children than compared to other people who are in the right age to work. Child slave labor is to use the illegal working children below 18 years of age in danger job. Underage children are being forced to do physical labor to help their families mainly due to poverty. About 2.06 million all around the Philippines are forced to do labor, such as in crop plantations, mining caves, rock mining, and factories. Due to the poverty problems that are not being help from the government, the number of child labor will continue increasing. (Deshpande, 2008)Child labor has many health effects in children who are supposed to be in the environment of a classroom rather than walking on the streets and risking every chance, over and over again, to earn money. Although most do get the privilege of education, most end up being dropouts and repeaters because they are not able to focus on their studies. Because of child labor, children suffer from starvation, the ability to grow, and improper health development. (Deshpande, 2008)The problems of child laboring continue to gro w, so the economics of the country will drop rapidly. People with proper education will not get job due to higher salary payment compare to illegal child labor. The cost of child labor is incredibly low comparing to workers with high education. Philippines is a young nation with high percentage number of young people in its overall population. There are up to 22.4 million children ages between five and seventeen. Sixteen percent of the overall population represent working children ages between five and seven, which means that one of every six children work. In the last twelve months, 3.7 million children ages five to seventeen worked. Children from rural area make up 67.1 percent of this number and almost half are between the ages of five and fourteen. These working children are mostly all boys, who account for 65 percent. As far as the locations where these children work, 60 percent perform unpaid family work in their own households, 17.2 percent work in their own homes and 53 perc ent work in family farms. (Group, 2002) The impact of the childrens health is a big problem for some country. The illness and death of family income head family means that the children has to go out and find money. A child that has health problem maybe judge unfairly and their work most of the time affect with their education. Child that believes to be clean from disease maybe put on the street as a prostitute. There is very few information available about the reason of disability on child labor research is deeply needed in this area. However, there is evidence of children being intentionally disabled for use such as begging. Furthermore, it is noticeable that disability can lead to poverty. (Group, 2002) By disabled children can weaken the poverty organization and there are higher risk of treating people unfairly. Anecdotal evidence believed that like women, disabled children are less likely to get equal pay for equal work. Most of the work for children is and dangerous job that require the risk of their health daily. If children are disabled from doing work, they would not be getting reward or very less, however their live may have been ruined forever and damage to their life and future. This is why there are increasing risk of people treating unfairly and poverty. The same is true for those who have HIV/AIDS or STIs or are raped at work. Sexually oppressed children is the mainly risk here. Child labor continues to live throughout the world. Children have to work because their survival and that of their families depend on it, and in some cases, because dishonest adults take advantage of their weakness. Child labor is caused from weaknesses in education systems and is deeply rooted in cultural and social attitudes and traditions. The problem is more by the fact that child labor is kept away from public view, making the problem seem less of an important. What can be done about child labor? 1. Prioritize education. It is a fact that the countries with a lot of child labor are worst at education than those that spend more primary education. Primary education should be free, made it important, well-resourced, and located everywhere. It is much easier to keep track on school attendance that to check on factories and workshops. It might make us feel good, but it only helps educate one child, isolating them from others in their community. (Group, 2002)2. Give the jobs of child workers to the adult that is capable of working. This way, the family does not suffer, and indeed should be better off, as adult wages are generally much higher than child wages. (Group, 2002) All in all, child labor can be widely spread in Philippine, but that are more disadvantage of using child labor than advantage. Government has to come in to help set law more stricty. Children labor are get harm both my mental and psychical. They are not able to live in a normal society because of their difference, both from accident or harm to make people feel sorry. All these things can be help if the government gives more attention to education and give jobs to the people that are allegeable to do work and band all the factories or any organization that use child under age.

Literature - Postmodern Literary Criticism :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Postmodern Literary Criticism    Postmodernism attempts to call into question or challenge the notion of a single absolute unified master narrative without simply replacing it with another. It is a paradoxical, recursive, and problematic method of critique.    It encourages transcendence through or in spite of limitation, while simultaneously decentering the concept of absolute transcendence. To this end, it encourages the development of a heightened sense of self in relation to itself and the world around it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodernism assumes an ontology of fragmented being. Where modernism asserts the primacy of the subject in revealing universal truth, postmodernism challenges the authority of the subject and, thus, universal truth based on it. Modernism and postmodernism, however, draw upon distinctly different epistemological modes: critical and dogmatic.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Modernism posits itself as a source of dogmatic knowledge. Dogmatic knowledge is an unchanging, absolute ideology. It has found the Truth or believes it is possible to acquire it. Knowledge is objective, tangible and quantifiable. The dogmatic mode attempts to subordinate further critical thinking in order to spread knowledge of Truth.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodernism, on the other hand, aspires to reflect the critical. Critical knowledge is a process, rather than product. Absolute knowledge is unattainable, conditional, and provisional at best. Any unequivocal sense of the real is rendered superfluous. Truth, therefore, remains elusive, relativistic, partial, and always incomplete; it cannot be learned in totality. "Truth itself is a contingent affair and assumes a different shape in the light of differing local urgencies and convictions associated with them" (Fish 207). Critical knowledge has no choice but to exercise complicity with the cultural historical context in which it is hopelessly mired. As Lee Patterson states, "Even scholars who are dealing with chronologically and geographically distant materials are in fact examining a cultural matrix within which they themselves stand, and the understandings at which they arrive are influenced not simply by contemporary interests but by th e shaping past that they are engaged in recovering" (259).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodern literary criticism asserts that art, author, and audience can only be approached through a series of   mediating contexts. "Novels, poems, and plays are neither timeless nor transcendent" (Jehlen 264). Even questions of canon must be considered within a such contexts. "Literature is not only a question of what we read but of who reads and who writes, and in what social circumstances...The canon itself is an historical event; it belongs to the history of the school" (Guillory 238,44). Literature - Postmodern Literary Criticism :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism Postmodern Literary Criticism    Postmodernism attempts to call into question or challenge the notion of a single absolute unified master narrative without simply replacing it with another. It is a paradoxical, recursive, and problematic method of critique.    It encourages transcendence through or in spite of limitation, while simultaneously decentering the concept of absolute transcendence. To this end, it encourages the development of a heightened sense of self in relation to itself and the world around it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodernism assumes an ontology of fragmented being. Where modernism asserts the primacy of the subject in revealing universal truth, postmodernism challenges the authority of the subject and, thus, universal truth based on it. Modernism and postmodernism, however, draw upon distinctly different epistemological modes: critical and dogmatic.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Modernism posits itself as a source of dogmatic knowledge. Dogmatic knowledge is an unchanging, absolute ideology. It has found the Truth or believes it is possible to acquire it. Knowledge is objective, tangible and quantifiable. The dogmatic mode attempts to subordinate further critical thinking in order to spread knowledge of Truth.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodernism, on the other hand, aspires to reflect the critical. Critical knowledge is a process, rather than product. Absolute knowledge is unattainable, conditional, and provisional at best. Any unequivocal sense of the real is rendered superfluous. Truth, therefore, remains elusive, relativistic, partial, and always incomplete; it cannot be learned in totality. "Truth itself is a contingent affair and assumes a different shape in the light of differing local urgencies and convictions associated with them" (Fish 207). Critical knowledge has no choice but to exercise complicity with the cultural historical context in which it is hopelessly mired. As Lee Patterson states, "Even scholars who are dealing with chronologically and geographically distant materials are in fact examining a cultural matrix within which they themselves stand, and the understandings at which they arrive are influenced not simply by contemporary interests but by th e shaping past that they are engaged in recovering" (259).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Postmodern literary criticism asserts that art, author, and audience can only be approached through a series of   mediating contexts. "Novels, poems, and plays are neither timeless nor transcendent" (Jehlen 264). Even questions of canon must be considered within a such contexts. "Literature is not only a question of what we read but of who reads and who writes, and in what social circumstances...The canon itself is an historical event; it belongs to the history of the school" (Guillory 238,44).