Aztec Human Sacrifice – a Detached View

In searching for a thesis for this paper, I was faced with a singular problem. With the ghastly subject of human sacrifice, what could possibly be argued and defended? During my reading and research, the stark and horrible reality of a butchered, battered, or burned human being slain in some grisly, weird ceremony for some equally weird gargoyle-like idol nearly caused me to choose another subject. Yet, years ago, when I read Gary Jennings' novel Aztec, I was fascinated with his description of the Aztec's sacrifice of prisoners during the dedication of the great pyramid in Tenochitlan: â€Å"The hearts of †¦ perhaps the first two hundred of them, were ceremoniously ladled into the mouths of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli until the statues' hollow insides could hold no more, and the stone lips of the two gods drooled and dribbled blood†¦ Those who have read Jennings' novel know that the foregoing is but a mild example of some of the graphic barbarism he describes. During my first reading of that novel, I would have never believed that I could come to the conclusion of my thesis. My thesis is this: There appears to be an intolerable paradox between the barbarous religious practices and the rather high state of civilization in the Central Valley of Mexico. This paradox undoubtedly led the early Spanish missionaries to regard the conquered Indians as devil worshipers. However, I believe that it is possible to regard the Aztecs as civilized people who also happened to perform human sacrifice. They performed human sacrifice in reaction to their view of the world and how they cope within it. Maintaining those two opposing viewpoints requires an understanding and a detached view which may have more to do with the study of history than the study of human sacrifice. The Aztecs, of course, had no monopoly on the practice of human sacrifice. Earlier cultures (the Maya, the Toltecs and others) provided the cultural base for human sacrifice upon which the Aztecs took to new heights. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, excavations in Egypt and elsewhere in the ancient Middle East have revealed that â€Å"numerous servants were at times interred with the rest of the funerary equipment of a member of the royal family in order to provide that person with a retinue in the next life. The burning of children seems to have occurred in Assyrian and Canaanite religions and at various times among the Israelites. Rites among the ancient Greeks and Romans that involved the killing of animals may have originally involved human victims. † The Aztecs, as previously stated, took the practice to new heights. In 1487 (five years before Columbus arrived to the East and two years after Henry VII began the Tudor dynasty in England) the greatest orgy of bloodletting of human sacrifice occurred during the fierce rule of Ahuizotl. I have already quoted Gary Jennings' description of the carnage, and I will quote one more passage to illustrate how the Aztecs in a ceremony lasting four days sacrificed at least 20,000 prisoners to their insatiable god Huitzilopochtli: â€Å"The prisoners endlessly ascended the right side of the pyramid's staircase, while the gashed bodies of their predecessors tumbled and rolled down the left side, kicked along by junior priests stationed at intervals, and while the gutter between the stairs carried a continuous stream of blood which puddled out among the feet of the crowd in the plaza†¦ Although Jennings' Aztec is, admittedly, a work of fiction, I have seen his descriptions corroborated elsewhere; for example, G. C. Vaillant's The Aztecs of Mexico describes the scene: â€Å"†¦ At the start of the dedication, the captives stood in two rows, and (they) began the grisly work of tearing out the victim's hearts†¦ † Returning to my thesis, how could the practice of human sacrifice be looked upon as anything less than barbaric, even to the point where Aztecs could be regarded as uncivilized? The answer, in my opinion, arises from their view of their creation, their position in the world, their relative importance therein, and how they were only holding on by a thread. If the Judeo-Christian God took only six days to create the heavens and earth (and rested on the seventh day), the Meso-American deity took awhile longer to get it right. The Aztecs believed that the sun and earth had been destroyed in a cataclysm and were regenerated four times. They believed that they were living in the fifth, and final, stage of creation, and (according to Meyer and Sherman's The Course of Mexican History) â€Å"that in their age of their fifth sun, final destruction was imminent. † Meyer and Sherman also point out another interesting (and revealing) aspect of how the Aztecs regarded themselves in the cycle of their cosmology. The accepted view of â€Å"a natural cycle† was that humans occupied a rather lowly position in the food chain of the gods. The cycle held that since the sun and rain nourished plant life and sustained man, man should give sustenance to the sun and rain gods. One might infer from the foregoing view that the Aztecs placed a low value on human life. To add to the paradox of sacrifice versus civilization, the evidence is that the Aztecs regarded the individual human as â€Å"a most significant locus of the meditation of the human and divine. † In Aztecs – An Interpretation by Inga Clendenin, the author focuses in on the actual meaning of the word â€Å"sacrifice. In her analysis of the Nahuatl linguistic iterations covering the separate meanings of death and sacrifice, she (gradually) comes to the conclusion that Aztecs regarded sacrifice as a payment of the debt incurred and only fully extinguished by death, â€Å"†¦ when the earth lords would feed upon the bodies of men, as men had perforce fed upon them. † What I liked most about Inga Clenninden's writings on the Aztec was her m ixture of sometimes excruciating detailed scholarship (I had to have a dictionary handy at all times) along with her eventual arrival at the exquisite truth of the matter. Concerning debt of humans to the gods she states the truth of the matter in two exquisitely perspicacious sentences: â€Å".. (T)he Mexica knew that all humans, unequal as they might be in human arrangements, participated in the same desperate plight: an involuntary debt to the earthly deities, contracted through the ingestion of the fruits of the earth†¦ It is that divine hunger which appears to underlay the gross feedings of undifferentiated mass killings. While everyone in Aztec society had the same debt, Aztec religion and its black-robed, blood-caked priests served to pay everyone's daily dues for continuation in humanity's last Tonatiuh yet a while longer. Through obeisance and observance of the needs of the pantheon of gods and with the complicity of the Aztec society at large (and often even with the active cooperation of the victims), the priests performed their killings, according to Clendinnen, openly and everywhere: â€Å"†¦ not only in the main temple precinc t, but in the neighborhood temples and on the streets. The Aztecs believed that without human sacrifice and the offering of the most precious and sacred thing the human possessed (blood), the sun might not rise to make its way across the sky. This rather strange and naive belief was supported by a mythology in which Huitzilopochitli, their fierce bloodthirsty god played a central part. But first, an explanation of the Aztecs' beliefs regarding the creation of their current age does shed some light on the role of sacrifice and Huitzilopochitli's cult, which later ran rampant and reached its zenith in the sacrifice of 20,000 at the dedication of the temple in 1487. A succinct description of Meso-American mythology appears in The Daily Life of the Aztecs by Jacques Soustelle. The ancient Mexicans believed that the two parent gods lived at the summit of the world. Their â€Å"unending fruitfulness† produced all the gods, and from it all mankind was born. The sun was born when â€Å"the gods gathered in the twilight at Teotihuacan and a little leprous god â€Å"covered with boils,† threw himself into a huge brazier as a sacrifice and â€Å"rose from the blazing coals changed into a sun†¦ † This sun was motionless and it needed blood to move. So the gods â€Å"immolated themselves, and the sun, drawing life from their death began its course across the sky. † To keep the sun moving on its course, â€Å"so that the darkness should not overwhelm the world forever, it was necessary to feed it every day with its food, ‘the precious water'†¦ human blood. † Every time a priest fed the gods at the top of a pyramid, or in the local temple, the disaster that always threatened to fall upon the world was postponed once more. About the time of the Crusades in Europe, the Aztecs migrated from the west into the Valley of Mexico. They brought with them their strange hummingbird god Huitzilopochitli, who, according to Victor W. Vonhagen in his The Aztec Man and Tribe gave the Aztecs some rather sound advice: â€Å"†¦ wander, look for lands, avoid any large-scale fighting, send pioneers ahead, have them plant maize, when the harvest is ready, move up to it; keep me,†¦ always with you, carrying me like a banner, feed me on human hearts torn from the recently sacrificed. † †¦ all of which the Aztecs did. The mythology surrounding Huitzilopochitli's origins was also revealing. The Aztecs believed themselves to be the â€Å"people of the sun. † This god's fierce preeminence is surpassed only by the Aztec view of his mother Coatlicue. Victor Von Hagen describes the Aztec sculpture of this powerful and awesome goddess: â€Å"†¦ her head of twin serpents, her necklace of human hands and hearts, her arms claw-handed, and her skirt a mass of writhing serpents†¦ † The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochitli sprang alive and fierce from his mother to vanquish his brothers, the stars, and his sister, the moon who had conspired to kill his mother. Coatlique, an earth goddess, conceived him after having kept in her bosom a ball of hummingbird feathers (i. e. , the soul of a warrior) that fell from the sky. His brothers, the stars of the southern sky, and his sister, a moon goddess, decided to kill him, but he exterminated them with his weapon, the turquoise snake. The Aztecs followed the hummingbird's twittering and became the dominant culture of a civilization that by the time Cortes and his group of scruffy adventurers landed in 1517 numbered in the millions. It is difficult to imagine an ancient, complex civilization like the Aztecs with a daily life that centered around the grisly practice of human sacrifice. The average Aztec only had to look at the stone idol of household god to be reminded of what nourished that particular deity. Deities other than Huitzilopochitli had their own feast days in the Aztec calendar and, accordingly, demanded their own sustenance. Slave children were drowned as an offering to the rain god Tlaloc. The fire god's victims were given hashish and thrown into the blaze. Those who represented the god Xipe Totec were fastened to a frame, shot with arrows, and then had their corpse flayed (the priests dressed themselves in the skin representing the â€Å"new skin† of spring). Here we have the phenomenon of how the person being sacrificed was symbolically transfigured into the image of the god and his own temple. In most cases the victim was dressed up so as to represent the god who was being worshiped. Just as the gods of old had accepted death, the person reenacted and became that sacrifice. Moreover, according to Jaques Soustelle in The Daily Life of the Aztecs, â€Å"when ritual cannibalism was practiced on certain occasions, it was the god's own flesh that the faithful ate in their bloody communion. † As the Aztec cycle continued and a shortage of â€Å"god food† occurred, the Aztec â€Å"Flowery Wars† replenished that supply. Militarism, elevated to a virtue, became ever intertwined with Aztec society. In fact, a warrior's status was determined by the number of captives he delivered to the sacrificial altar. Whether as a battlefield casualty or ending up as a captive on the altar of an enemy tribe, this â€Å"flowery death† was desirable and noble, and a place in the clouds was reserved for that warrior. Returning one last time to Gary Jennings' graphic description of the prisoner sacrifice on that day in 1487, when long lines of captives shuffled along the avenues toward Tenochitlan up the pyramid staircase towards the twin temples of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochitli: â€Å"†¦ any prisoners, however complacently they came to their fate, involuntarily emptied their bladders or bowels at the moment lying down under the knife. The priests – who†¦ had been clad in their usual vulturine black of robes, lank hair, and unwashed skin – had become moving clots of red and brown, or coagulated blood, dried mucus, and a plaster of excrement†¦ † It is indeed difficult to read of such gore and barbarism without relegating the Aztecs to the level normally reserved for far less developed and organized societies. Although the Aztec period is considered by historians as not having reached the heights of civilizations of the classic period, it is clear that the Aztecs and the cultures of the Central Valley were sophisticated and well organized. There may have been as many as 30 million inhabitants of that area (although some scholars believe that count is somewhat exaggerated), and the breathtaking sight of Tenochtitlan must have impressed Cortes beyond words. The question remains: Does existence and abhorrent (to us) practice of human sacrifice disqualify the Aztecs from full membership in the â€Å"club† of civilizations? Apparently, the Spanish felt that the answer to the question was an unequivocal yes. The horror and disgust that newcomers must have felt may have helped the Spanish convince themselves that the native religion was another form of devil worship and provided subsequent justification for destroying their culture. Jaques Soustelle gets to the heart of the matter in The Daily Life of the Aztecs. He says that the Aztec practice of human sacrifice was a great factor in making the two religions which confronted one another totally irreconcilable. In the early battles, some conquistadores ended up as captives and sacrificial victims of the Aztecs themselves, and this practice lent a particularly remorseless attitude on each side of the struggle between the Aztecs and the Spanish invaders. If we can understand the motives and the religious and cultural perspective of the Spanish, who massacred, burnt, mutilated and tortured their conquered natives, it is likely that the definition of cruelty differs from culture to culture. It follows, therefore, that it is possible to use the same perspective towards human sacrifice on the part of the Aztecs. Works cited: Jennings, Gary, 1980, Aztec Von Hagen, Victor W. , 1958, The Aztec, Man and Tribe Vaillant, G. C. , 1944, The Aztecs of Mexico Clendinnen, Inga, 1991, Aztecs An Interpretation Meyer, Michael C. , and Sherman, William L. , 1995, The Course of Mexican History Pre-Columbian Civilizations: MESO-AMERICAN CIVILIZATION: Postclassic Period (900-1519): AZTEC CULTURE TO THE TIME OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST: Aztec religion. Britannica Online HUMAN SACRIFICE: Britannica Online XIPE TOTEC – Britannica Online â€Å"Tlaloc† Britannica Online.

Chase Strategy Essay

What are some of the challenges associated with using the chase strategy and why? The chase strategy is one of three production strategies for aggregate planning in use today. Chase strategy is a form of demand matching. This is done by forecasting the expected demand set by previous sales or projected sales. The purpose of this is to meet or match the demand of their customers. It is also an appropriate strategy with variable demand such as seasonal items. The chase strategy is mostly used in service based industry that concentrate on meeting demand. Due to the unforeseen forecast, the company must hire and fire their employee to meet the production needs. United parcel service and Wal-Mart are examples of companies that use chase strategy. During the holiday season beginning in November, United Parcel Service and Wal-Mart hire seasonal workers to meet the increase in volume. This means that both of these companies expect to be busy and the opportunity to generate revenue is availab le if they have the correct number of employees in place. A primary advantage is the flexibility to meet demand fluctuations. Another advantage is both of these companies do not have to pay for benefits such as medical, dental, or provide retirement since these employees are not vested. According to Seeking Alpha, United Parcel Service expects to pick up 32 million packages on December 2, 2013, which is the first Monday after Thanksgiving and known as Cyber Monday, this will be more packages than 10% last year. On Cyber Monday, online retailers provide steep discounts for holiday shoppers. To handle this increased workload in the holiday season, UPS will hire 55,000 seasonal employees across the U.S. Reference: How This Holiday Season Will Be A Blessing For UPS. (2013, November 3). Retrieved September 26, 2014, from http://seekingalpha.com/article/1800442-how-this-holiday-season-will-be-a-blessing-for-ups

Fire Management Essay

I. INTRODUCTION: In the early decades of the 20th century, The Philippine government adopted a policy of aggressive fire suppression. Professional firefighters were trained to detect and fight fires, and fire stations were built in strategic areas throughout our country. The aim of fire suppression is, first, to stop or slow down the rate of a fire’s spread, and secondly, to put it out. There are three components to any fire — fuel, temperature, and oxygen — which have become known as the fire triangle. To suppress a fire, firefighters must break this triangle, by removing the combustible materials, by reducing its temperature, or by smothering it so that it has no oxygen. Suppressing fires became considerably more effective after World War II and when new fire trucks, helicopters, smokejumpers, fire retardant clothes and new fire fighting strategies were introduced into the fight against fires. It seemed as if the raging infernos that had destroyed property and terrorized people would become the gigantic disasters of the past, limited to small outbreaks that could be quickly brought under control. It has been observed that when people hear fire or smoke alarms, their first response is typically to try to find the reason for the alarm rather than immediately escaping or reporting a fire. In some situations, no one is present to hear an alarm or if they do hear it, they may choose to ignore it entirely. If they realize it is a fire, they may try to fight it themselves, warn or assist others, or collect belongings The type of building in which a fire alarm activates is a key factor in the way people respond. Typically, an alarm in a home leads to a very fast response by occupants while response to an alarm in public assembly occupancy could be expected to be slow. This suggests that source of call measures stratified by occupancy type would be informative in examining total response time measures. Fire spread may also be affected by fire notification and dispatch. The more time it takes to notify the fire department, the more time fire has to spread. However, monitoring services may be more likely than individuals to report confined fires, since individuals are likely to put these minor fires out themselves. To identify this, the source of the call would have to be examined along with fire spread. Compared to all buildings, a building with an alarm monitoring system may be more likely to be equipped with an automatic fire detection and/or suppression system, which would increase the likelihood that a fire would be detected early or contained to the room of origin. The measure might be further strengthened by examining the percentage of calls made by either individuals or alarm monitoring services by presence or absence of automatic suppression systems. In the National Capital Region with a population of 11.86 Million, it is where most of the biggest and disastrous fire transpired thus, effective and efficient firefighting is very essential. Unfortunately, the BFP firefighters were lack in proper personal protective equipments and modern firefighting equipments which is very significant in carrying out their mandated tasks. II. RELATED ISSUES AND CONCERNS: There are several studies, some of which date back to the 1970’s, that highlight important performance measures for fire departments to consider when evaluating workload, performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. There have been some key changes in fire codes since the 1970’s. This can have an impact on measures of fire department performance. Fire detection and suppression equipment is now required in most new construction. For the fire service, the desired fire protection outcomes – which are not easily measured – include fires prevented or suppressed, and ultimately the human life and property preserved. You cannot measure a program without first clearly identifying the goals and purpose of that program, in other words the intended outcome. Goal statements are qualitative statements that typically generalize the intended outcome of a program in words rather than numbers. This is the first step to evaluating performance. Once intended goals are establi shed, the department must identify the functions or actions that are taken in order to achieve said goal. They must also consider available resources – whether monetary, equipment, or person-hours. Why measure performance? Robert Behn points out, â€Å"neither the act of measuring performance nor the resulting data accomplishes anything itself; only when someone uses these measures in some way do they accomplish something.† Performance measures are the quantitative or numerical representation of activities and resources that help evaluate whether the goal is met. The easiest and best way of applying quantitative performance measures to qualitative goal statements is to specifically identify target rates or percentages for each goal. For example, one qualitative goal statement for the fire department might be to â€Å"control fire spread upon arrival.† The department could use the measure: percentage of fires that did not spread beyond the area of origin after arrival of the fire department. When talking to public administrators and town officials, saying 88% of fires did not spread beyond the area of origin after fire department arrival doesn’t really mean much without an identified target goal. Of course, ideally everyone wants 100% of fires confined to the area of origin, but it is not always the case. Realistic target goals should be set. Communities aren’t static; they grow and change over time. Population size and characteristics can change. Building types and construction materials can change. A change in department policy (i.e., personnel levels, inspection frequency) can affect performance. The fire department should take all of these issues into consideration and compare its own community’s characteristics and department policy over time. According to The Rand Fire Project, any public service must be measured by its effectiveness, efficiency, and equity. Effectiveness is concerned with the basic reason for providing the service. Measures of effectiveness determine how well a service does what it is supposed to do. To determine effectiveness, it’s important to look beyond immediate output and determine the associated consequences of that output. Efficiency is concerned with how well resources are used in providing the service. Efficiency measures are an economic criterion, most often associated with money. Equity is concerned with the relationship between those who pay and those who benefit. Equity measures look at the fairness in levels of service provided and citizen expectation (Chaiken and Ignall). III. POLICY ISSUES: The Manila Fire District (MFD) reaffirms five broad goals: 1. Improve Fire/Emergency Response Operations 2.1 Enhance the Department’s preparedness to respond to fires, emergencies, disasters and acts of terrorism. The Department’s highest priority continues to be to enhance its operational capacity to respond to fires, pre-hospital care emergencies, building collapses and hazardous materials incidents, as well as natural disasters, terrorist acts and other emergencies. 2.2 Fire Management Program 2.3.1 Pre-Suppression 2.3.2.1 Training: All personnel shall receive training in first aid, fireline safety, fire behavior and techniques and methods of fire suppression. This shall include periodic hands-on training with hand tools and equipment, as well as crew and fireline organization. Supervisors and fire management personnel need special training in fire control tactics to insure their competence when directing fire suppression operations. 2.3.2.2 Pre-attack planning is required at Administrative Staff and Branch levels for the gathering, coordinating and recording of intelligence, as well as the construction of certain fire control facilities, to insure the rapid and efficient suppression of fire on any given area. Pre-attack planning will include: (a) Assess and map existing facilities, firelines and access route, which are judged to be important to the successful control of fires. (b) Identify and propose additional facilities, firelines, and other aids to fire control, including maintenance required. (c) An estimate of personnel, equipment, and other factors needed including other agency cooperators that will provide for safe and efficient fire control. (d) Identify natural and physical resources of special importance. (e) Construct and maintain new lines and facilities according to plan, by priority, as funds and time permit. (f) Keep pre-attack plans current to annual field checks and revisions. 1.2.1.3. Equipment and Material Readiness (a) Will acquire, account for, and maintain specialized equipment and material used in support of fire control activities, such as telecommunications and computer equipment. (b) Will maintain firefighting equipment and material in safe condition and state of readiness. (c) Will maintain an adequate inventory of equipment, material and supply. 2.3.2 Suppression (a) The incident commander is responsible for all activities and operations on the fire. He may delegate more responsibility to assistants as organizational needs grow, but he is always the final authority and bears total responsibility. (b) Coordinate with Barangay and Volunteer Fire Brigades for immediate suppression of fire and other emergencies. 2.3.3 Demobilization (a) Completion of all reports related to the fire. (b) Repair and maintenance of all equipment used on the fire and replacement of items rendered unserviceable or expended. (c) Debriefing and critique will be conducted as appropriate. Important items of information gained will be incorporated in the final fire report. 2. Improve Fire Prevention and Safety Education 2.1 Prevention A major responsibility for every Branch is to keep the community informed on the need for sound fire protection. Prevention of fire is a continuous effort. Fire is an ever present danger, and, to be effective, fire prevention must be constantly practiced. Each fire prevention program should analyze the common cause of fire, identify fire hazards and risks existing in the protection area, and propose measures to reduce the threats of fire and fire damage. Branch fire prevention strategies shall include the following: (a) Tri-Media and websites. (b) Talks to schools, civic organizations, etc. (c) Public notices/news releases declaring high fire danger periods. (d) Posting of fire prevention/high fire danger warning signs and posters. The new Fire Code of the Philippines (RA 9514) went into effect December 2008 as part of the Country continued commitment to ensure public safety. The Manila Fire District remains vigilant in its mission to protect lives and property through inspections and enforcement. The Department’s approach represents a continuum of services that includes an array of prevention, inspection, investigation and educational activities and programs. The Fire Department will continue to develop fire prevention, inspection and educational programs to make communities safer and expand its efforts to implement a risk-based inspection program. Guided by the RA 9514, MFD is undertaking a comprehensive review of its fire prevention and fire suppression efforts. The aim is to better assess and quantify fire and hazard risk in the community in terms of the possibility of loss or injury and assign defined, quantifiable values of risk and hazards. The Department will identify and analyze risk by adopting a sound, scientific approach and, through the use of state-of-the-art technology, integrate data collection and dissemination of critical information to the field. The end result will be to modify current operating standards and improve prevention and suppression response, accordingly. The first of these efforts is to research and modify its inspection programs, as follows: i. Establish a risk-based inspection program that will enable the MFD to focus its fire prevention resources on the buildings and hazards in neighborhoods facing the greatest risk of a serious fire, hazmat incident or other large-scale emergency. ii. Develop criteria for risk-based assessments of buildings, sites, hazards, construction and demolition and create a risk-based inspection scheduling system. iii. Develop improved workflows and business processes for risk-based inspections, data collection, data retrieval and analysis using information from various other City agencies. The MFD provides educational seminars and on-site inspection to Building Owners and occupants too ensure compliance. The MFD will: i. Notify the owner/occupants of building or structure regarding increased enforcement through the issuance of violations and court summons for failure to comply with the law. ii. Utilize a Task Force to supplement enforcement of the Fire Code of the Philippines. iii. Ensure drills are scheduled and held at each site for participation by commercial high-rise building tenants. iv. Develop criteria for risk-based assessments of buildings, sites, hazards, construction and demolition and create a risk-based inspection scheduling system. 3. Enhance the Health and Safety of MFD Members The Department is committed to improving the safety and well-being of all MFD emergency responders. MFD has emphasized a renewed effort to improve operational safety management and behavior through heightened hazard-risk awareness, an emphasis on injury prevention and by intensely promoting among all members the importance of safety each and every day to prevent injuries or fatalities. The MFD through its Emergency Medical Services, is in the process of designing, piloting and implementing various projects to meet the needs of the Fire and EMS workforce. The goal of the program is to improve the way in which safety is managed within the fire service and direct management efforts at critical safety-related behaviors, resulting in a change in members’ attitudes, values and beliefs about safety. The EMS program and its safety message aims: 3.1 To reach all BFP personnel who are required to adhere to an annual medical appointment. The program content incorporates accident data and ambulance driver profiles, identifies road hazards and reviews safety operating procedures and protocols to ensure the safety of personnel. 3.2 Further promote operational safety management and behavior by reinforcing the FDNY safety culture. 3.3 Participate in a national, multi-year academic research project to develop a world-class safety management system within MFD for members of the Fire and Emergency Medical Service. 3.4 Promote Critical Incident Stress Management through peer debriefing sessions for all emergency responders at an incident site. 4. Strengthen Management and Organizational Development Promote organizational effectiveness and develop leadership capabilities. The MFD continues to strengthen its management capabilities by providing ongoing opportunities for additional training, the refinement of performance management methods and increased access to comprehensive analytical reports and data. Fire Departments respond to a wide range of emergency incidents. This guideline identifies standard operating guidelines that can be employed in establishing command. The system provides for the effective management of personnel and resources providing for the safety and welfare of personnel. It also establishes guidelines for the implementation of all components of ICS for structural/fire operations. Command Guidelines are designed to: 4.1.Fix the responsibility for command on a specific individual through a standard identification system, depending on the arrival sequence of members, companies, and chief officers. 4.2. Ensure that a strong, direct, and visible command will be established from the onset of the incident.   4.3. Establish an effective incident organization defining the activities and responsibilities assigned to the Incident Commander and to other individuals operating within ICS.   4.4. Provide a system to process information to support incident management, planning, and decision making. The Incident Commander is responsible for the completion of the tactical priorities. The tactical priorities are: a. Remove endangered occupants and treat the injured. b. Stabilize the incident and provide for life safety. c. Conserve property. d. Provide for the safety, accountability, and welfare of personnel. This priority is ongoing throughout the incident. ICS is used to facilitate the completion of the tactical priorities. The INCIDENT COMMANDER is the person who drives ICS towards that end. The Incident Commander is responsible for building an ICS organization that matches the organizational needs of the incident to achieve the completion of the tactical priorities for the incident. The Functions of Command define standard activities that are performed by the Incident Commander to achieve the tactical priorities. 5. Increase Diversity Continue to advance and support initiatives in the recruitment, retention and promotional advancement of men and women of diverse backgrounds in the fire protection and emergency medical service. A top priority of the Department is to continue to expand its successful efforts to diversify its uniformed workforce through its Recruitment Unit and various recruitment programs. The percentage of young men and women of diverse backgrounds entering the Fire Academy has been increasing steadily. The Department’s latest recruitment campaign was tremendously successful. The Department will continue targeted recruitment for future Firefighter Civil Service examinations that focuses on recruiting young men and women of diverse backgrounds. Department will: (1) Continue ongoing, year-round outreach for EMS recruitment. (2) Implement a Physical Preparation Program for EMS candidates called to take the Physical Agility Test (PAT). (3) Continue to expand outreach and mentoring efforts in div erse communities throughout the City and increase the visibility of career opportunities in firefighting and EMS. IV. ALTERNATIVE POLICY MEASURES: A. Continue to research, pilot and expand the use of new and innovative firefighting techniques to enhance operational tactics, response and Incident Command. B. Enhance coordination with other NGOs and Volunteer Fire Brigades for new and modernized fire fighting methods. C. Enhance and develop additional fire prevention and educational outreach programs to make communities safer. D. Implement a risk-based priority inspection scheduling system and wireless handheld tools to automate field inspections. E. Implement the review and approval of Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for commercial high-rise buildings. The MFD must establish an EAP Unit within the Bureau of Fire Prevention to review and approve plans submitted by commercial building owners in compliance with RA 9514. F. Continue to improve on-scene safety for Fire/EMS responders by developing additional scene safety initiatives, including conducting an Fire/EMS hazard assessment Department-wide survey and establishing a Hazard Ass essment Committee. V. CONCLUSION: Calls to fire departments can come in from many avenues. The four major response types include: fire incident calls, EMS calls, HazMat calls, and other calls such as service calls, or false alarms. Individuals and alarm monitoring services are the major sources for calls to fire departments. The fire department has no direct involvement in how quickly a fire is discovered once it starts and how promptly the fire is reported once it has been discovered. In the best case scenario, someone notices a fire when it starts and reports the fire immediately after evacuating, but this does not always happen. Fire departments may arrive to several different scenarios at a fire scene. Fire scene scenarios include: fire extinguished before arrival of firefighters, fire contained to the room of origin before or after arrival of firefighters, or fire spread beyond room of origin before or after arrival of firefighters. In some scenarios, a person may need to be rescued from a building or fire scene . There may also be fatalities or injured victims on scene who require medical aid. The purpose of this to identify the top priorities of the Department, describe significant strategic management initiatives and future actions. This Policy is seeks to provide the public, Department and its members with a clear framework for the future to work together with its many partners to ensure the delivery of, fire protection and other emergency care, investigation, inspection and preventive and educational services that the citizens and visitors to People have a right to expect. The initiatives contained in this Policy will require consultation with and support from other local government units, as well as the private sector and the City’s relevant labor organizations. In addition to the new objectives outlined, the MFD will continue to monitor the progress and completion of those key objectives The MFD is dedicated to its mission and core values and to serve and protect the City of Manila. This Policy represents the commitment to respond to emergencies and simultaneously provides an opportunity to evaluate its core services and set new standards as an organization to meet its future challenges. REFERENCES: National Fire Protection Association Fire Code of the Philippines, RA 9514 Ahrens, M., Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires, NFPA Division of Fire Analysis and Research, July 2009. Ammons, D., Municipal Benchmarks: Assessing Local Performance and Establishing Community Standards, Sage Publications, Second Edition, 2001. Chaiken, W., Ignall, E., Fire Department Deployment Analysis: A Public Policy Analysis Case Stud, The Rand Fire Project, A Rand Corporation Research Study, 1979. Cline, D., Organizational Benchmarking and Performance Evaluation, NFPA Fire Protection Handbook, 20th edition, Volume II, Chapter 12.2, 2008. Hall, J.R. Jr., Flynn, J., Grant, C. Measuring Code Compliance Effectiveness for Fire-Related Portions of Codes, the National Fire Protection Association and Fire Protection Research Foundation, 2008.

Wingtip Toys Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Wingtip Toys - Assignment Example Thus, the notion of keeping in touch with all the hardware and software changes all around the globe are the leading driving factors to organizations maintaining their day-to-day updates on Information Technology. One of the major software advancements that go hand in hand with changes in network configurations of several organizations is the Windows Server (Stair & Reynolds, 2012). Windows Server, a server-based operating system provided by the Microsoft Corporation. It offers a significant number of useful services to its targeted users. Among the major uses of Windows Server is the general feature of providing users with a front end where they can perform their daily activities as regards application management and surfing the Internet (Stair & Reynolds, 2012). Furthermore, Windows provides the capability for users to play games or make controls on online applications that are based on other servers usually over the satellite. Over the last few decades, Windows Server 2003 was the most widely used in performing the aforementioned activities all around the globe.... The new one usually focuses on solving major problems that exist in the earlier versions. On the basis of the advancements in features and capabilities in Windows Server 8 Wingtip Toys aims to take a thorough analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) that form the fundamental aspects of this System software. For any network administrator, SWOT analysis of a new hardware or software acts as the focal point to determining the capability of the new feature to meet the expected network security standards in an organization and as per the globally accepted characteristic of a safe networking environment (Dulaney, 2011). As mentioned earlier, Windows Server 2008 is system software of which it will be expected to aid in smoothening the networking activities that go around in Wingtip Toys business organizations and specifically in its need to be connected over satellite based network servers. Thus, the notion of performing a thorough SWOT analysis by a netwo rk administrator is driven solely by the urge of maintaining a secure network environment for the organization (Dulaney, 2011). The (SWOT) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis is basically built on the idea of figuring out whether or not Windows Server 2008 is more feasible compared to Windows Server 2003. It is basically clear that since Wingtip Toys greatly makes use of the internet in the performance of daily activities, then network security is at the forefront in enhancing security of the hardware devices and Software applications that are used by its clients (Dulaney, 2011). Windows Server 2008 comes in as an upgrade to

Strategy Plan for American Airlines Co Research Paper

Strategy Plan for American Airlines Co - Research Paper Example The company’s top priority is to meet or exceed the needs and expectations of their customers by giving them the best travel experience upon boarding, on-board, and upon arrival. This could be done through route network optimization, competitive pricing, cost structuring, safety and security, and many more. The main trust of this paper is to provide a strategy plan for American Airlines Inc. This plan would incorporate competitive strategy that would help the company become the market share leader and largest air carrier in the world. 2. American Airlines, Inc. A. Business Overview i. Company history. American Airways was founded last 1930 through the consolidation of 85 subsidiaries airlines of The Aviation Corporation. American Airways was renamed to its current American Airlines Inc. under the appointment of the new CEO, C.R. Smith; the airline is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. For several years, AA had managed to introduce improvements in terms of technology, fliers p rogram, quality service, etc. making AA the largest in passenger miles and passenger fleet size. AA had maintained its strong presence particularly in the U.S. domestic market, and in 2009, â€Å"about 38.85 of Americans flying were international- Latin America and Caribbean, 18.7%; Europe, 15.6%; and Pacific, 4.5%† (â€Å"AMR Corporation,† 2010). Since then, AA had been successful and considered to be one of the biggest global airlines that served one-third of the U.S. population (85.7million) and more than 300,000 tons of cargo in a year. On a daily basis, the carrier transported an approximately 275,000 passengers between nearly 250 cities in over 40 countries with average daily flights of 3,400. ii. Worldwide operator. AA is one of the largest operators worldwide with a total of 623 active aircrafts as of 2010 and the largest number of international destinations. The carrier has scheduled domestic flights throughout North America, South America, Central America, an d other extensive international network in East and South Asia, and Europe. It has been more successful and gain competitive advancement after combining network fleet with AmericanConnection and American Eagle as its regional affiliates. B. Organizational Structure i. 655 Aircrafts/ 260 Destinations/ Dallas Hub AA is wholly owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation which is a publicly-traded company. The accountability and responsibility structure of AA is often disseminated in the organization through the board of directors and a chief executive officer. A large commercial airline like AA has hundreds of smaller stations to points all over the world, and hub airports that include: Chicago, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - the largest hub. To send passengers to these hubs, AA employed various aircrafts such as Boeing, and ATR, ERJ, Bombardier for American Eagle. Currently, AA has 623 aircrafts with more than 621 fleet size and 250 destinations ac ross 40 countries around the world. C. Business Segments i. Domestic (U.S.). The U.S. domestic market is dominated by AA with a market share of 13.7%. The regional carriers of AA, American Eagle and AmericanConnection served as an advantage to the company as the affiliation acquired 7.5% of the total domestic market (Vasigh, Fleming, & Tacker, 2008, p. 14).

Research Paper and Proposal on Advertising Essay

Research Paper and Proposal on Advertising - Essay Example , Tv programs are made to encourage viewers’participation (Henry 343).4Reality shows in particular require viewers to call and send text messages in order to influence the verdict of the judges(Henry 343).5 A show such as the American Idol in 2003 would attract more than 20 million calls or text messages per episode during its final weeks(Henry 343).6Marketers use the calling data to place their commercials during the most popular TV shows in order to reach out to their potential market(Henry 344).7According to Jhally, most of the advertisements broadcasted on TV are grossly misleading(217).8Although some programs purpot to unscripted, this is not always the case (Jhally 217).9The growing form of interactive viewership has allowed the advertisers to direct consumers towards certain consumption habits(Jhally 217).10Interactive viewership has also led to the formation of some cultures and social groups that shape the strategies and decisions of the corporates(Jhally 217).11 The popularity of the American reality TV shows lies on the fact they are short termed and carry a lot of drama and excitement(Henry 344).12 The fact that the characters that are staged on reality TV are real makes many people to be excited about them(Henry 350).13The stardom that is generally associated with reality shows creates a lot of appeal among the viewers(Henry 351).14 The reality TV shows and the incorporated advertisements have significant impacts on our cultures and social behavior. Many viewers, especially children, tend to have their hero from the reality TVs with whom they like to be associated with. In most cases, reality TV show participants are coached and therefore, do not portray the true selves as they make us believe (Henry 355; Rideout, Ulla, Donald1).1516 According to Victoria, Foehr, and Roberts, an average American child spends more than four hours watching television every day (2).17 Although there are a lot of researches on the impacts of watching television

Peter eisenman building germany holocaust memorial Essay

Peter eisenman building germany holocaust memorial - Essay Example Peter Eisenman: Building Germany’s Holocaust Memorial chronicles the creation of a major public sculpture in the center of Berlin. This sculpture was created by American architect Peter Eisenman and is a memorial for the Jews killed in the Holocaust during the Nazi regime of Germany. The public memorial is a soccer field size space filled with 2711 concrete stele. The stele are of varying heights, tipping to the left and right on a shifting, wavy ground. This has the effect of reminding the audience of a wheat field tossed by strong winds. The idea of this memorial was first propagated by a group of German journalists led by Lea Rosh in the year 1988. Two design competitions were held and finally the entry of American architect Peter Eisenman was accepted by German chancellor Helmut Kohl. The project was finally implemented in the year 1999 when the Bundestag (lower house of the German parliament) provided the financing for the project. Peter Eisenman succeeded brilliantly in completing the memorial when it was finally dedicated to the memory of the Jews killed in the Nazi genocide. The documentary also documents the feelings and impressions on the memorial of some prominent German politicians, academicians, literati and general visitors to the German Holocaust memorial. The documentary Peter Eisenman: Building Germany’s Holocaust Memorial is a well-shot one and is an example of the Cinema verite style of documentary filmmaking.

Hebrew Bible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hebrew Bible - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the chapters 5 to 12 of the Hebrew Bible are mainly concerned with the record of miraculous happenings that result because of the pharaoh time and again not keeping his promise to Moses to grant them the freedom to pray to Jehovah in the wilderness. It is his pride and unbelief that leads to the occurrence of the ten plagues that visit the Egyptians one after the other and culminate in the death of the firstborn among the Egyptians but still the pharaoh is unrepentant and according to Jehovah is destined to the destruction of his people and himself. His wise men and sorcerers enact the miracles that are performed by Moses but even they are fully convinced that they are not dealing with some odd magician, but instead some supernatural power at work on behalf of Moses. They are convinced that the power or force that backs Moses is beyond them, and they stand no chance but the pharaoh’s heart and mind by the know ledge of the Lord God are hardened against the truth and the righteous. Faith, especially in the Hebraic and the Islamic tradition, is pure and simple blind belief in Jehovah and Allah, so either you possess it or you do not there are no two opinions about it. But for the sake of the unbeliever Jehovah manifests himself through the miracles to open up the eyes of the unbeliever but all to no avail as far as the pharaoh is concerned. The Twelfth chapter is concerned about the feast of Passover and how to avoid the wrath of Jehovah. Historical Background: It has been a topic of heated debate that the account of Bible is historically accurate. This is the traditional view. The opposing view is that the text is not historically correct, not because Bible is a holy book but exactly for that fact because Bible is a religious testament, concerned more with leading the men to good and righteousness and abstain from evil. The historical background is that for four hundred and thirty years th e Israelites were oppressed and kept in utter bondage. The miraculous events that take place, though cannot be verified what can be easily sifted through the annals of another historical record that have been recovered, discovered and unearthed by the researchers. A very important testament, that verifies the miraculous happenings recorded in the Hebrew Bible, of an age and time, specifically of Exodus is (revealed word of Allah), that is the Holy Quran. The story narrated in the Hebrew Bible and the Holy Quran agrees most of the important instances. The whole Surah Al-Baqarah (this title literary translated into English as â€Å"The Cow†), the longest chapter of the â€Å"Holy Quran†, accurately records the history and the travails of â€Å"Bani-Israel† (the Israelites) including the events mentioned in Exodus. It is mentioned on many occasions in the Holy Quran that the Israelites are the most beloved people of Lord God or more accurately Allah. According to à ¢â‚¬Å"Historiography and Self-definition: Josephus, Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography†, an authoritative book on the Exodus considers and proves it as â€Å"general history† as opposed to a monograph or antiquarian history.

Cases Analysis Part 3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cases Analysis Part 3 - Coursework Example In this specific case, stating that if Williams ever missed a payment, the store could repossess all the items that Williams had ever bought from Walker, regardless of how long ago they were purchased is a strong example of unconscionable clause. If the clause referred only to that one purchase to which the missed payment referred, it would not be considered unreasonable and unfair. I believe that in this case, the bargaining power of the parties was definitely unequal, placing the consumer in a disadvantaged position. Therefore, Williams should ask the Court not to enforce this specific clause, based on its unconscionability and unfairness. Moreover, in multiple previous cases, it was held that a court can refuse to enforce a clause, if it considers it unconscionable. For example, a leading case in this is Scott v. United States2, where it was held by the Supreme Court that: â€Å"If a contract be unreasonable and unconscionable, but not void for fraud, a court of law will give to the party who sues for its breach damages, not according to its letter, but only such as he is equitably entitled to.† Also, the Uniform Commercial Code provides exact stipulations on this matter in paragraph 2-302, where it stipulates that: â€Å"(1) If the court as a matter of law finds the contract or any clause of the contract to have been unconscionable at the time it was made the court may refuse to enforce the contract, or it may enforce the remainder of the contract without the unconscionable clause, or it may so limit the application of any unconscionable clause as to avoid any unconscionable result. (2) When it is claimed or appears to the court that the contract or any clause thereof may be unconscionable the parties shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present evidence as to its commercial setting, purpose and effect to aid the court in making the determination. â€Å"3 This means that by law, Courts are entitled to refuse to enforce a contract or a clau se, if it finds it unconscionable, which is the case of Williams. CHAPTER 12 CASE 3 There are several issues that Horizon House Microwave Inc. can use in its favor. First of all, it refers to Hall’s reasons to getting a job for HHM. If Hall decided to become an employee at HHM only because of the promise he was made by Bazzy, it is one thing. BUT, if Hall had been working for HHM for a period prior to the promise, the situation changes. This means that while being employed at HHM, Hall received a full salary package and he was actually fairly remunerated for his work and he suffered no material loss for not purchasing company stocks. Therefore, no material damages can be claimed by Hall from HHM. Another important issue that could be used by Bazzy to refuse to sell stock to Hall as agreed may be the lack of a written agreement on this, that would confirm Bazzy’s intention to be bound to the verbal promise he has made. I would advise Bazzy to refer to the General Statut es, specifically  § 42a-8-319 where it is expressly stipulated that "A contract for the sale of securities is not enforceable by way of action or defense unless (a) there is some writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought or by his authorized agent or broker sufficient to indicate that a contract has been made for sale of a stated quantity of described securities at a defined or stated price; or (b) delivery of the security has been accepted or payment has been made but the contract is

Eastern Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Eastern Religion - Essay Example The reason why these rules are so important is that they have both literal usefulness in preserving the health of believers and symbolic usefulness such as forging unity between them in a potentially hostile world. A recent review of the effects of religiously motivated food habits on health concluded that â€Å"dietary restrictions, with the exception of strict vegetarianism (vegan diet) of most of the religions might be substantially effective in preventing, treating or controlling a disease† (Sarri et al., 2006, p. 18). Clearly there is a good medical reason to avoid some meat and dairy products in hot countries, where these foods harbour disease. Interestingly, the same article points out that there are also psychological and social benefits in participating in these rituals, which supports the idea that it is not just avoidance of foods that is beneficial, but the way a whole religious community sets itself apart and binds itself together through its food-related rituals. The very complex laws in Judaism have also another purpose, namely to show obedience to God, and to ingrain self-control (Kashrut article). The same is true of the strict rules of Ramadan for Muslims. Clearly there are physical, moral and social reasons why food prohibitions are practised in all major world religions and that is why they are so important. Sarri, Katerina O., Higgins, Siobhan and Kafatos, Anthony G. â€Å"Are Religions â€Å"Healthy?† A Review on Religious Recommendations on Diet and Lifestyle.† Journal of Human Ecology Special Issue 14, (2006), pp. 7-20. Web. [Accessed October 27,

US Correctional System Essay Example for Free

US Correctional System Essay A correctional system is a network of legal agencies with granted authority to make pronouncements on legal issues geared toward administration of justice within a prison setting or a parole system. The goals of this system are to punish the perpetrators of criminal activities through various mechanisms, to protect the general population from harms associated with crimes, and finally to transform criminals into responsible, law abiding and productive citizens through well structured rehabilitation programs. This paper will focus on how the correctional system is utilized to achieve the above mentioned objectives and investigate which strategy between punishment and rehabilitation is the most effective in reducing crime. Punishment of those proved guilty of bleaching the law is a major goal of the correctional system and serves as a deterrent against one repeating an offence in addition to suppressing criminal thoughts of others who might be contemplating evil (eHow, Inc, 2010). A good number of mechanisms are applied and incarceration is the most common. It entails imprisonment or confinement of criminals in facilities such as prisons, local jails for persons convicted in state courts, federal prisons for those convicted in federal courts, and several residential institutions including training schools for juveniles. Another form of punishment is probation which is a sentencing option for offences of lesser magnitude and offers a second chance to first time offenders to reconstruct their behavior. Criminals who serve under this sentence have been convicted of crimes but have served only a part of the sentence in prison or not at all. Persons on probation are required by the court to adhere to certain conditions and guidelines under the supervision of a probation officer. These conditions include abiding to a curfew, living at a specified place or not leaving the jurisdiction at all, subjection to community service, and obeying the orders of the probation officer among other conditions. Probation can be seen as a suspension of a sentence during which, the offender is accorded liberty conditioned on behavior change with the state having the obligation of assisting the offender to maintain commendable conduct (Sutherland, Cressey Luckenbill, 1992). Death penalty as a form of punishment was re-instated in 1976 and it is almost exclusively used for crimes of murder (Bryant, 2003). Over the course of time, several amendments on this law have been made with several states implementing new laws which allow death sentence for the rape of a minor. Other statutes allow death penalty for non-murder crimes including treason, placing a bomb near a bus terminal, aircraft hijacking, and drug trafficking, among others. Different methods of execution have been prescribed by the federal government and the 37 states that have statutes allowing death penalty (Regoli Hewitt, 2009). These methods are electrocution, lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, and lethal gas, though no states provide for either of the last three as the sole method of execution. Rehabilitation is an approach entrenched within the correctional system and is meant to punish offenders in a more positive way with the understanding that the offenders are sick and require gradual cure and reconstruction of their moral and social discipline before their release. This strategy is taken to be an effective mechanism of shifting a criminal from being a liability to the society to being an asset. It can be accomplished through vocational training, drug rehabilitation treatment, and counseling (eHow, Inc, 2010). Vocational training for instance offers criminals a chance to acquire a variety of job skills which consequently shapes them into productive members of the society and helps them to fight hopelessness, lack, and low self esteem which they might be struggling to overcome. Counseling is also a viable method of rehabilitating criminals and can be done either individually or in groups. Group counseling aims at triggering a positive influence among criminals by sharing the wide niche of experience from its members. Group activities and interactions also help significantly in providing solutions to the problems among peers such as how to break links of ealier relationships with undesirable people. Drug addiction and alcoholism is also a menace that has jeopardized cohesive existence and has threatened state security. There are a staggering number of drug rehab centres whose goal is to assist drug addicts and alcoholics heal physically, mentally, socially and spiritually and re-establish themselves in a drug and alcohol-free setting (treatment- links. net, 2010). To a great extent, capital punishment and long term imprisonments play a significant role as deterrent and incapacitation approaches against crimes. However, these strategies do not serve to heal the society from all facets of social relationships. According to Braithwaite, a legal system that relies on punishing criminals as the major approach of curbing crime, is destined for failure since it does not incorporate the voice of the victim (2002). From my point of view, the rehabilitation approach carries a lot of potential in reducing criminal activities as it provides the criminal with a second chance of becoming a better and resourceful person through acquisition of skills and advice that fits his or her needs. Rehabilitation scores a major goal of ensuring that the offender gets a chance of acquiring some form of education, phsycological support, and treatment in case of drug addiction. Consequently, this can be more effective in eradicating the urge to go back to criminal activities. In addition, rehabilitation generates a sense of healing and new life both to the offender and to the community after successful reformation. With regard to punishment, fear of being punished does not offer any better solution to criminal activities Braithwaite(2002). Rehabilitation therefore goes an extra mile in meeting the goals of the correctional system. References Braithwaite, J. ( 2002). Restorative justice and responsive regulation. Newyork: Oxford University Press US. Bryant, C. (2003). Handbook of Death and Dying. New Orleans: SAGE. eHow, Inc. (2010).Role of the Correctional System. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www. ehow. com/about_5087269_role-correctional-system. html Regoli, R. , Hewitt, J. (2009). Exploring Criminal Justice: The Essentials. Boston: Jones Bartlett Learning. Sutherland, E. H. , Cressey, D. R. , Luckenbill, D. (1992). Principles of criminology. Newyork : Rowman Altamira. treatment-centers. net. (2010). Drug Addiction Treatment Centers, Alcohol Rehab Programs, Dual Diagnosis and Addiction Treatment Resources. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www. treatment-centers. net/

Plato and Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Plato and Aristotle Essay Plato and Aristotle both have been very influential as the ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle was a student of Plato and there are many similarities between these intellectual giants of the ancient world but there are also many things that distinguish them from each other. Aristotle was far more empirical-minded than Plato. First, Platos philosophy relegated the material, physical world to a sort of metaphysical second class. His contention was that the abstract truths of the mind-mathematical truths, moral and normative truths about ideals-are what really matter in life and in philosophy, and that the empirical world around us consists of merely poor copies of these ideals. By contrast, Aristotle did as much or more work in what we would today call science (physics, biology, etc. ) as in what remains a part of philosophy. While Aristotle certainly did important work in ethics and related areas, he concentrated as much or more on examining the material world. Plato can be read at times as being quite disparaging of science. This is not true of Aristotle. Second, the difference in the approaches and values of these two philosophers resulted in very different political philosophies. Platos political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Republic. For him, the just state is one ruled by ascetic philosophers who have been raised from birth not to value material reward or exclusive human connections, even with their own kin. They are the ideal of wise, objective, fair-minded, ultra-rational beings. In contrast to Platos utopian political philosophy, Aristotles political philosophy, which can be found principally in the Politics, has a large component of descriptive political science. When he does argue for certain political schemes, they tend to be incremental improvements on existing systems. Like his teacher Plato, Aristotles philosophy aims at the universal. Aristotle, however, finds the universal in particular things, which he calls the essence of things, while Plato finds that the universal exists apart from particular things. Aristotle makes philosophy coextensive with reasoning, which he also would describe as science. Note, however, that his use of the term science carries a different meaning than that covered by the term scientific method. For Aristotle, all science is practical, poetical or theoretical. By practical science, he means ethics and politics; by poetical science, he means the study of poetry and the other fine arts; by theoretical science, he means physics, mathematics and metaphysics. In general, Plato is the more extravagant thinker, the thinking outside the box type who was equal parts brilliant and bizarre in his ideas. Aristotle is more the cool, logical, dry, systematic thinker whose works tend to read like encyclopedias.

Using Body Language In English Teaching English Language Essay

Using Body Language In English Teaching English Language Essay Introduction At present, almost everyone knows that language learning, especially English learning, becomes more and more important to the students. Students often learn English through the classroom teaching, namely teachers education. Due to the disadvantages of traditional English teaching, teachers need to reform the teaching methods to arouse the students interest in English and help them to learn better. There are many useful and proper methods to get the goal and one of them is using body language. What is body language? Body language or nonverbal communication is a communication without words. It refers to patterns of facial expressions gestures that people use to express their feeling in communication. In school education, body language plays a positive role in cultivating the students characters for teachers are usually imitated by the students. In a word teachers graceful and lively body language helps to improve students artistic appreciation and moral character and it is necessary and important for the teachers to use the proper, vivid, dramatic and even exaggerated movements to teach the abstract knowledge. Thus the students will improve a lot from teaching. As a result, the students interest and the effect of teaching are greatly improved. So it is necessary to use body language in teaching. English teaching is a key part of the school education. Generally, traditional English teaching considers teachers as a center, book learning as a standard and examination handling as the only goal. Thus the study interest and desire of the students are greatly depressed. Therefore, we must make and carry out reforms in education. We need reforms. With the English teaching methods reform, more and more teachers pay much attention to the importance of using body language in school teaching. And according to the students present level and practical situation, body language is also required. The use of body language is a useful method in English teaching. In the classes, if teachers use it properly the students attention can be attracted and the teaching quality can be improved. The use of gestures and facial expressions of teachers in the teaching process is important they will help teachers express their own ideas and thoughts accurately and lively. According to the students, the use of body language will help them keep firmly in mind the knowledge obtained in class. Body language contains facial expressions, eyesight, movements, and so on and even cloth. Facial expressions-in the teaching process, teachers provide the students with messages through their own facial expressions. In the process of class exchange, teachers express their affection; optimism and deep confidence to the students. The students will feel warm and become active. The facial expressions of teachers in English teaching should change along with the changing of class contents and teaching circumstances. Also teachers delight, anger, sorrow and joy should appear in at the right moment, infect the students to make them have the feeling of delight and sorrow at the same time. They cant take their own passive morals into the classrooms. Eyesight- eyes are the windows of heart. Through the window, teachers transmit information which cant be expressed by verbal language to the students. An excellent teacher should have a pair of eyes which can speak. S/he should be good at using eyes to transmit messages, exchange feelings, express attitudes and carry on teaching. If a teacher stared angrily at the students who didnt concentrate his attention nor did some petty actions in classes, the students would restrain himself consciously. When a student didnt answer a question for a long time because of his shame of making mistakes, an encouraging eyesight from his teacher would make him become more confident than before. Movements the main movement is gestures. Gestures are the most important part of body language. The English teaching in classes focuses on communication activities. Dull and dry communication will make students produce detestable feeling but lively, vivid, even exaggerated actions and gestures can enliven the teaching circumstances, making the activities go off without a hitch. If the teacher gives a balls shape through his hands, then performs the action of shooting a basket when teaching the word basketball, all of the students can guess the meaning of it. When the teacher teaches the verb, it will be more accurate to do a simple gesture o the students than teachers repeated explanation. And the students can remember it with a deep impression. Patting up ones thumb expresses Ok and Great. And nodding shows Yes and shaking ones hand shows No. These are all in common use. According to school students, distinctive figures will greatly influence their thoughts. Therefore, the use of body language in schools teaching is helpful in students understanding and memory. Then with the limitation of the use of mother language, the students will be studying in a good environment. The use of lively and vivid body language in English teaching can fully arouse the students study interest and joining enthusiasm. More importantly, the whole teaching process will become the communication activities of language in the scenes with the true teaching contents. At the same time, when the students suffer setbacks and become disappointed, when the students make mistakes because they are self-willed and troublesome, when the students lack confidence in themselves because of their sense of inferiority and timid, and when they make progress through their hardworking, if teachers can use different body language properly or use their eyesight to give some hints to them, or use mo vements to assist and establish a special emotion and atmosphere to go on an exchange from heart to heart, then the students will appreciate it. At that time, they will achieve the best teaching effect in classes. From all the above, we find that body language plays a positive role in the English teaching. Body language has strong characteristics in images and informative functions. It can make the abstract things become specific. In brief, English subjects are not like other subjects. English subjects have not an atmosphere, so teachers teachers should do their best to reduce their use of Chinese (local/mother tongue) in classes. Then body language will become the main medium through which teachers and students communication with each other. The influences of teachers body language on the students are reflected not only by establishing a good example, but also by shortening the teacher-student estrangement by which a more harmonious studying atmosphere is created. In the English teaching, body language needs to be used frequently so as to improve the teaching effect and the students ability. In conclusion, practice makes perfect. Learning English needs practice. The 45 minutes in class is very precious and should be cherished during which the students should practice as much as possible. To make the full use of the limited time, teachers are required to adopt some effective methods. At the same time, the recent educational reforms, the students present level and the practical situation like their limitation of vocabulary requires teachers to simplify their teaching language with the help of facial expressions, eyesight, body movements, namely body language. The use of body language can not only attract the students attention, but also deepen their impression and imagination. The use of body language is completely up to the standard of audio-visual teaching principle, so teachers should try to teach in English from the beginning to the end, together with the corresponding body language. Therefore, we should realize the necessity and importance of using proper and vivid bo dy language in teaching English. So teachers should use body language in school English teaching and try their best to use it in classes. In the end, the students ability of English will be certainly and greatly improved.

Free Music :: essays research papers

Free Music   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shawn Fanning came out from backstage to present an award with a Metallica shirt on. It was one of the funniest moments of the entire award show. The reason it was funny is because Metallica is suing Napster. Shawn Fanning created Napster to make it possible to download music for free, and Metallica is trying to help destroy the program he made. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), many artists, and many labels are all combining to help get rid of Napster. The main dog in the fight is the RIAA. They have tried to work with the RIAA, but they only want to destroy the program. The number of people that use Napster has grown rapidly in the last few months because of the publicity the news has given it. If it weren?t for the RIAA suing them, most people wouldn?t have even heard of Napster. There are many programs like Napster on the Internet, but the RIAA has set its sights on the most popular one for now. I don?t see any reason to shut them down comp letely. The RIAA and Napster should combine and create a better place to find music on the Internet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People that use Napster think that downloading music is a way of sharing. People get things for free by sharing all the time. Kathryn Balint says, ?Ever since the advent of tape recorders, copy machines, and VCRs, people have been doing it, and sharing their copies with others? (A-1). The users of Napster say there are many reasons to use Napster. The accessibility of Napster is unbelievably easy. Most songs are even available before they come out in stores. Many of the people that download music are testing music, and buying it later. Downloading a song takes an average of about twenty minutes on a regular computer. There are many other things to do besides download music. You can chat with some of the friends you have made, or you can make new friends by going to the chat room that is for you. The type of music you like organizes the chat rooms. For example, if you like rap, you would join the rap chat room, or if you likes rock, you would join the rock chat roo m. It even has a hotlist, which lets you find out what type of music anyone has downloaded, and it helps you remember your friend?

Power Markets and Electricity Derivatives :: essays research papers

Since the early ‘90s, the electrical energy sector has undergone profound and dramatic changes. More and more countries moved towards the deregulation of their energy sectors, from a regulated and monopolistic industry to one were the market forces of supply and demand determine the unit price of electricity. The first case of energy sector deregulation in Europe was recorded when the United Kingdom with the Electricity Act of 1990 created the Electricity Pool for England and Wales. Norway soon followed suit (Norwegian Energy Act of 1991) and set up the Norwegian Pool in 1993, which eventually became the Nord Pool in 1996. At the same year, the European Union issued its Electricity Directive (Directive 96/92/EC) according to which the electricity markets of all EU countries should be open for competition by 2003, with the exceptions of Greece and Ireland which were granted a one year extension [13]. Deregulating a country’s energy sector is a complicated and difficult task. The typical power utility operation is divided into three main functions: electricity generation, its transmission over the power grid and finally the distribution to the end users. Deregulation stipulates that all three functions should be open to competition. In particular, new and existing power generation utilities/companies (GenComs) should be able to compete with each other at a wholesale level. For this to be possible though, the access to the power grid should be offered with the same terms to all players. The only way to avoid any bias or conflict of interest is hence to ensure that the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity are either run by different companies or under different management (unbundling). Furthermore, the electricity distribution sector may also be segmented for different geographical areas, (DisComs). The actual trading of electricity, either the physical as set itself or financial products on it, is organized and takes place in a formal power exchange, or Pool [13]. The passage from a regulated to a deregulated power industry is seen in Figures 1 and 2. Deregulation of the energy sector is all the more challenging due to the particular characteristics of electricity that differentiate it from other traded commodities; namely limited storability and transportability. Electrical energy cannot be stored after it has been produced, except in the case of hydroplants where electricity is notionally stored indirectly in the form of the water kept in the reservoirs. Even in this case though, high demand can be satisfied for a limited time only, while the use of larger in size and/or number reservoirs is either unfeasible or uneconomical.

Family Ethnicity :: essays research papers

Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impact of ethnicity on my family Subject:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due Date:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Growing up, my family consisted of my mother, father, and my three brothers. My father was of German decent and my mother was of Irish. There was a stigma attached to being a German American back in the late 1940’s and as a result, my father would have nothing to do with this German heritage. He changed his name from Willie to William and as a great disappointment to my grandparents, refused to learn the German language. Even with his attempts to keep his ethnicity out of his life, my father retained many of the German traits of his parents. He is extremely hardworking and thrifty. The thought of going into dept makes him physically sick to his stomach. He would never own a credit card. To make a major purchase such as a car or appliance, he would take a 2nd and sometimes a 3rd job so he could pay cash for the items. I like to think that I inherited my father’s work ethics. But I know for a fact that I don’t have an ounce of his thrifty ways, nor do my daughter. I miss the German foods that my Grandmother used to make. Now that she is gone, I wish I had some of her recipes. The only German foods I can make are potato pancakes and German Potato salad, which my daughters love, or at least they say they do so they don’t hurt my feelings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I hardly knew my mothers parents. They both died before I started kindergarten. My grandfather loved beer and died of cirrhosis. I suppose that this could go along with his Irish ethnicity. My mother is a strong catholic and had plans to become a nun before she met my father. As long as I can remember, my mother would give up a pleasure in her life and spend time praying for something to happen or not happen to one of her sons. Examples are:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She gave up wine and prayed that I wouldn’t be drafted during the Viet Nam war. I received a medical exemption for a back problem.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She gave up between meal snacks and prayed that my brother, Kevin would marry his live-in girlfriend. Kevin is in his mid 40s now and is still living with Patty. Mom doesn’t pray for this anymore since Kevin is the only of her 4 sons that hasn’t been divorced yet.

Promote communication in health, social care Essay

1.1 The different reasons why people communicate are: To form positive relationships To play together cooperatively To work together Information sharing Approach and response To understand expectations and boundaries. erent ways. 1.2 Communication effects relationships in the workplace because there needs to be clear boundaries and expectations for people and this is only achieved through clear communication. There should be respect between colleagues and with young people so they know the guidelines and rules within the setting and any concerns from the young person is acknowledged. If the communication is not flowing this could lead to lots of problems as their needs will not be met effectively. Read more:  Promote Communication Essay 2.2 The factors to consider when promoting effective communication are building positive relationships, being considerate to others, showing respect for each other, being clear on key points and maintaining a good sense of humour. If these factors are followed and taken into consideration then the flow of communication between a carer and young person will be positive. 3.1 When communicating with people from different backgrounds or cultures care and sensitivity should be shown when communicating. We must not be too ready to take offence to a gesture or language that is not the norm in our own culture, and be aware of our own body language and gestures. Care should also be taken with the language used and the tone of voice used and they can be misinterpreted. 3.2 Barriers to effective communication are: – Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions and some topics may be completely ‘off-limits’ or taboo. – Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver. – The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms – Differences in perception and viewpoint. – Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties. – Physical barriers to non-verbal communication. Not being able to see the non-verbal cues, gestures, posture and general body language can make communication less effective. – Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents. – Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrect conclusions. – Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space varies between cultures and between different settings. 3.5 There are a number of agencies, web sites and courses available that can be accessed to enable individuals to communicate effectively for example families first, government schemes, advocacy services etc. 4.1 The term confidentiality means information that should only be shared with people with a right to have it. This is vital as young people in care will often have information about their backgrounds or family history that should only be divulged to those who need to know. Sometimes there will be information about a childs history that should only be shared with that child when they are ready to cope with it; and could be detrimental if divulged early. 4.3 When and if you need to disclose information that you have received in confidence then it can create tension and distrust. You are therefore better explaining to a person who may disclose to you that anything disclosed would have to be shared with the relevant professionals. If this is shared from the offset trust will not be lost and more importantly the young person will know why you need to do it. Unit 4222-33 302 Engage in personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings 1.1 The duties and responsibilities of my own role is to provide a safe and caring environment for children to have a stable upbringing so as to achieve their full potential. 1.2 I have high expectations in regards to looking after young people. These are linked to the standards and I am continually reminded of how I have met these or should be meeting them. 2.1 To reflect at a later date about how we handle situations is very good practice. We can employ hindsight so as to employ more foresight next time. 2.3 Our own values and beliefs are just that, our own. We must be aware that while there are generic morals and beliefs there are also cultural and religious differences that must also be respected. 3.1 We can evaluate our own knowledge, performance and understanding with the professionals that make up the fostering team. Our supervising social worker is there for intimate support and guidance when we need it and it is our judgement that we rely on to evaluate our performance. Every year I have an annual review where I am assessed against the standards and my performance is discussed. This is supported by my monthly reports where I write up what has happened during the month, reflecting on how I handled situations that arose. 4.1 My supervising social worker provides me with the help to plan and review my own development. This can be through attending courses, reviews of monthly plans or suggestions of how to help with situations that have arisen and agencies to turn to for additional support. 5.1 Learning activities have helped a great deal as they provide carers with continual development and keeps us open minded and up to date with current situations and ways forward. Unit 4222-33 303 Promote equality and inclusion in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings 1.1 Diversity- Diversity can be defined (in a care environment) as a broad selection of people from different backgrounds, with different ideas, religion, culture, sexual orientation, ages, disabilities, ethnicity, gender and general beliefs. Equality- Where individuals in society are treated the same with the same opportunities as each other, given the same chances and human rights as everyone else in society regardless of backgrounds mentioned above  (Diversity). Inclusion- Inclusion determines the Equal opportunities of all individuals, and enforces the methods to do so. 1.2 There are many forms of discrimination. From a workers perspective this could be not given the same job/conditions opportunities as other workers. As a client in a care background, not being given the care they should be entitled to. Also not being given respect for a persons backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicity and needs. This can lead to alienation/segregation, personal growth and in some cases depression and general ill health, due to not having respect of a person’s background/lifestyle. 1.3. I constantly include the young person in my practice to promote equality and support diversity. This allows the childs interests and differences to be taken into account so that the child is happier and healthier etc. An example of this is trying to encourage inclusive schooling, we moved the child in our care to a school that is ASD friendly as the environment he was in was not appropriate. We involved the child in the process at all times, to ensure that he was happy and in agreement with the transition. 2.1 These are the laws I need to adhere to: Anti discrimination Act 1977 Racial discrimination act 1975 Age discrimination act 1975 Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 Mental Health Act 1983 and 2007 amended Act Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 Human Rights Act 1998 Race Relations Act 1976 and Race Relations (Amendments) Act 2000 and 2003 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 I must understand and adhere to the codes of practice and legislation at all times. Also when I am acting as an advocate for our young person I must always ensure that the young person is receiving fair and inclusive practice from organisations be it education or social. For example school, social clubs or social service provision. I am constantly ensuring that these are adhered to. 3.3 You should always challenge discrimination, but to do this it is essential that you can recognise anti-discriminatory practice. My role is to protect children from discrimination. If I ignore it when it happens, this will be viewed as condoning (excusing or overlooking) discrimination. If I ignored a child who had felt they had experienced discrimination, who is there to support them. The child could feel that I share the view of the perpetrator or believe that the way they are being treated is ‘normal’. They may feel that they are in some way inferior. At the very least, they will feel let down that I did not protect their rights, which is my role. It can be difficult to challenge discrimination, particularly if it is institutional or practised by a colleague, so it is important that I consider how to deal with different and often difficult situations. To be able to challenge discrimination I would require knowledge of policy, procedures and practice. If I feel confident about what is good practice, I will be able to deal more effectively with incidents that arise. When discrimination happens it may be intentional, but it can also be because of ignorance and lack of understanding. It is not easy to change the views of others but you must challenge discriminatory comments and actions. When I am concerned about anti-discriminatory practice, I always speak me to my supervising social worker to discuss the matter and check that I have  carried out everything in my power to support the young person in my care.

Deere And Company Case Essay

I. Introduction Deere & Company (also known as John Deere, after its founder) is a world-leading manufacturer, distributor, and financier of equipment for agriculture, construction, forestry, and commercial and consumer applications (lawn and grounds care). Deere’s objective has consistently been to be the low-cost producer in the markets it serves. However, it seeks to do so while maintaining an image of quality and customer focus. Its company values are quality, innovation, integrity, and commitment. Because of the company’s close ties to the agricultural industry, corporate performance in both sales and profits was highly, variable over the last several decades due to cycles of low prices and oversupplies of many agricultural products. During the period, the company made various adjustments in its product mix and manufacturing processes to enable it to better compete and survive in the global environment. II. Statement of the Problem During the company’s business cycle, Deere & Company faces the following problems: 1. How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; 2. How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? III. Areas of Consideration The Deere & Company faces different problems such as how to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014, and how to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. These problems are caused by the following: The company wants to double their sales, have a healthy increase in their profitability, and an almost three-fold increase in economic profit. The company have the eagerness to get all the opportunities outside their scope. The company wanted to widen their source of profit. IV. Alternative Courses of Action Alternative for problem #1 How can the company achieve its goal, which is to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014?; Advantages Disadvantages The company must continue improving their services and equipments. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. They will need more skilled and qualified workers. It will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must hire more skilled and qualified workers. The company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. It takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. Alternative for problem #2 How can the company increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018? The company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada. The company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. The company may not be able to reach their expectation of their target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in a specific location. The company should improve their marketing strategies. The company will be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. The company will incur more expenses. V. Conclusion The researchers conclude that the company wants to gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. So in order to achieve these, the company must continue improving their services and equipments to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the  same time get more loyal customers. But, they will need more skilled and qualified workers and it will increase the costs of their expenses. The company must also hire more skilled and qualified workers so that the company can have sufficient manpower to help in achieving their goal. However, it takes more time to search and it is also costly to train the future workers. The company also wants to increase their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018. I line with this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada. But, the company may not also be able to reach their expectation of target sales because they might have strong competitors with the same business industry in those locations. The company should improve their marketing strategies for the company to be able to effectively promote their products and encourage more investors and customers. But, of course the company will incur more expenses too. VI. Recommendation The researchers are recommending the company to continue improving their services and equipments for themto gain $50 billion in mid-cycle sales by 2018 and 12% mid-cycle operating margins by 2014. The company will be able to maintain the loyalty of their current customers and at the same time get more loyal customers. By having loyal customers, they will also be the one who will encourage new customers by what we call â€Å"buzz marketing† because they are the ones who have experienced the high quality services and equipments rendered by the company. The researchers also suggest that the company should increase their exports and establish more branches outside the U.S and Canada to boost their sales from one-third today to half of the company’s sales coming from outside the U.S. and Canada by 2018.By doing this, the company may be able to reach their expectation of their target sales from outside U.S. and Canada because the company will have big chances of acquiring new customers and big profits by establishing more branches in different locations.

Development of Environmental Law in Bangladesh Essay

1. Development of Environmental Law at the Global Level The Agenda 21 of United Nations Convention of on Environment and Development (UNCED) in its Chapter 8, 38 and 39 emphasized on the need to develop capacity in the legal and institutional areas for sustainable development in developing countries. Chapter 8.13 of the Agenda noted that laws and regulations suited to country-specific conditions are among the most important instruments for transforming environment and development into action. Legal enactment on environment became necessary due to increased incidents of environmental degradation, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, activities of regional and international organizations (multilateral financial agencies and bilateral donor organization.) The global trend of environmental law making suggests three eras of legal development with clear characteristics. The laws adopted in the post Stockholm Era were ‘use-oriented’. These were natural resource laws dealing with management of land, forests, water, minerals, wildlife, fisheries and so on and had incidental environmental significance. The primary concerns of these laws were allocation and exploitation of the natural resources rather than sustainable use and management. In the second phase, ‘resource oriented’, ‘anti-pollution’ laws were being adopted that basically aimed at long-term management and sustainable use of natural resources. In the third phase, the laws were more ‘system oriented’ that aimed at integrated planning and management of the environment on the basis of all embracing ecological policies and environmental management programs. At the Global level, various international conventions, treaties, protocols also contributed significantly in fostering the development of environmental law making. 2. Evolution of Environmental Laws at the National Level Following the global trend, various nations of the world moved in updating their environmental legal regime either through adoption of new * Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Executive Director, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA). 2 9:1&2 (2005) Bangladesh Journal of Law laws or amending the existing ones. The development of the environmental legal regime at the national level shows the following trends: a. Crystallization of Environmental Issues in Constitution As many as 106 countries of the world have incorporated environment related provisions in their Constitution. While some of the state constitutions have mentioned environment in the preamble, others have opted to mention environment either as right or duty or as a matter of public interest. b. Evolution of Right to Environment in Cases In some region/countries, development of environmental laws has been greatly affected by case laws. For example, in India and Bangladesh the rights to life of the Constitutions have been interpreted by the judiciary as including right to sound environment. [M C Mehta vs. Union of India (AIR 1987 SC 985); AIR 1992 Kant 57]. c. Incorporating Environment in Policy Documents In most cases, the policy regime has been more prompt in incorporation of environmental thoughts than the legal arena. Most of the policy documents in Bangladesh being more recent documents have incorporated many progressive notions and values including environment whereas no single law still gives unconditional right to a clean environment. d. More Comprehensive Coverage of Environmental Issues Legal development on environment has not remained limited to pollution or conservation goals only. Rather the broader dimensions of environmental issues have been recognized and various methods have been suggested to ensure achievement of legal commitment and monitoring. Laws of many countries have required and laid down procedure for dispute settlement, environmental impact assessment (EIA), environmental quality standard, education and information. e. Use of Economic Instruments For balancing the conflicting demands of economic development and environment, new principles have emerged in the economic sector to operate the notions of tax incentives, user pays, environment funds and so on. f. Provision for Public Participation and Review As with democracy, in environmental governance also participation of all stakeholders concerned is essential. In a good number of countries, Application and Reform Needs of the Environmental Law in BD 3 environmental decision making process has been regulated in a manner to ensure participation of those likely to be affected by the decision. g. Recognition of International Norms In some cases countries have shown respect to international environmental laws and to ensure that there global commitment is not frustrated and have adopted domestic laws that promote such commitments. Changes in legal regime, though an important step forward, cannot itself ensure compliance. Hence, the need for effective coordination of environment management, establishment of institutions to administer the laws and mechanism for facilitating compliance has been equally emphasized in countries that have gone for more responsive environmental legal regime. 3. Environmental Laws in Bangladesh  It was thought once that the existing laws of Bangladesh are too inadequate to be worked with environment. But when the work on environment was started, existing laws were found to be operative. The reason may be that the same law can be interpreted in different ways in different perspectives. A writ petition was filed by BELA (Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association) relating to â€Å"Locus Standi† of Article 102 of the Constitution of Bangladesh and because of the progressive interpretation given by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh the concept of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is judicially recognized in our country. Although Article 102 has been in our Constitution since 1972, this provision was not interpreted in such a progressive way before. There would be lacuna in the interpretation of law if we remain unenlightened about the standpoint of environmental movement in Bangladesh. Environment came out to be an important topic here after the devastating flood of 1987 and 1988. In order to control the flood situation the Government of Bangladesh undertook a Flood Control Project with the aid of donor agencies. In fact the environmental movement in Bangladesh started centering that development project. Some NGOs, which were working on environment separately, found that there would be irreparable loss to the environment if the above project namely Flood Action Plan was allowed to continue. Those NGOs assembled to establish a platform by the name â€Å"Life Minded Environmental Activist Forum†. Environmental movement commenced privately from that forum. On the other hand in the Governmental level the Ministry of Environment and Forest was formed and incidentally both Governmental and Non-Governmental initiative began together.