Monday, December 30, 2019

Lord Of The Flies By William Golding - 1364 Words

Red tie or blue? Corn Flakes or pancakes for breakfast? Do homework or save it until tomorrow? People make countless decisions throughout the day. These decisions are based on a combination of the practical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual qualities of each individual. However, the most important decisions that a person makes are driven by emotions such as fear, joy, jealousy, pride, and anger. These emotions play the biggest role in the critical decisions that define a person, and they best represent human nature. In the book, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, there are four main characters: Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon. Each character s decisions and actions are primarily driven by the practical, intellectual,†¦show more content†¦Human nature is most like Jack character. Jack’s decisions are determined by his emotions. People tend to be driven by emotions such as fear, joy, greed, and anger when making important decisions. These decisions ar e ultimately what define an individual and, therefore, best represent human nature. The first reason that human nature is best represented by Jack’s character is because people tend to make decisions based on their emotions when they are anonymous or alone. Jack let his true feelings show when his face was painted and when he was hunting in the forest. Once he was disguised or in the privacy of the forest, he acted like a wild animal. The author describes Jack as being a different person when he paints his face. The narrator says, â€Å"[h]e capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness† (Golding 60). This mask acted as a shield protecting Jack from the judgement of others. It made him feel less responsible for his actions, and he disregarded intellect and practicality while choosing his course of action. Instead, he relied on his emotions to make decisions, no matter how bad they were, because the mask took away his sense of responsibility. Many people are like this today. For example, when people robs a bank, they wear masks to make sure no one recognizes them. In some ways, a

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Effects Of Light Pollution On Humans And The World

When someone thinks of pollution, they most likely think of toxins and contamination in bodies of water and in the air. While these familiar types of pollution are large problems, there is a lesser known variety of pollution involving excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive light that is just as large of an issue. This variety of pollution is called light pollution or photo pollution. The effects of light pollution on humans and the world’s various ecosystems are various and need to be realized. Since their initial creation, light bulbs have continuously grown in number and type. Streets are now lined with bright yellow fluorescent, runways are now mapped out with multi-colored bulbs, etc. The utilization of light bulbs has expanded to where most every homes, in civilized countries, now have every room lit with them. The inventions of televisions and electronic signs have only furthered the expansion and utilization of artificial light. â€Å"People like light, they’re a ttracted to it† (Bogard) and artificial light, to most, seems all-good, but is actually a concern to safety, energy conservation, energy cost, health, and effects on wildlife. Glare, sky glow, and light trespass are the three divisions of light pollution which raise these financial, ecological, and health concerns. Light trespass, a component of light pollution, occurs when light spills where it is not wanted, intended or necessary. Light trespass may occur when streetlights or aShow MoreRelatedEducating Ourselves Is A Responsibility1681 Words   |  7 PagesWithout a more educated environment the world couldn’t move forward. The people and their education are the future of our world. There are millions of ways a human being can go out and educate themselves. One of which those ways is by watching a documentary. This is my preferred choice as I went out and self educated myself. A documentary is a movie or a television or radio program that provides a factual record or report. Many of the people in this world, with our new technology, watch televisionRead MoreThe Problem of Light Pollution1613 Words   |  7 Pagesproblem of light pollution? Research question How can new approaches in design reduce the problem of light pollution? Background In most situations, light helps us see. But when it comes to looking at the night sky, light is actually a kind of pollution. Light pollution is the pollution caused by misplaced artificial light. It is a rapidly increasing environmental problem. In the urban landscape that we live in, light pollution can have implications for the visual environment, affects human healthRead MoreMarine Biodiversity : A Global Pattern Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesMarine biodiversity Definition: Marine biodiversity refers to the species richness and abundance of genes, species and habitats in the world s oceans and seas. And since the world is covered with approximately 70% water the amount of life in the oceans is enormous. According to the definition of the Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources, including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecologicalRead MoreEnvironmental Crsis on Earth Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesThe earth is facing an environmental crisis on a scale unprecedented in human history. This crisis is due to high levels of human pain and, if it continues, the human life on the planet disappears. People often say that the reason that the world is in its current state is because there are too many people or because of modern technology. Global pollution growth has led to increasing pressure on worldwide natural resources including air, water, l and, and raw materials; and modern societies have generatedRead MoreLight Pollution Essay1211 Words   |  5 Pagesand integral parts of the human civilisation as it allows all human activities to expand during the night or to take 30 place in areas where the lighting is inadequate. Its misuse though, causes a phenomenon known as photopollution/ light pollution/ luminous pollution. This phenomenon is caused because artificial light is being reflected from the various components of the atmosphere. The International Dark-Sky Association define light pollution as: Any adverse effect of artificial lighting, includingRead MoreProblems Face by Earth948 Words   |  4 Pagesbrings negative effects to our life . One of the greatest effect that we face now is global warming . Global warming is when the earth heats up (the temperature rises). It happens when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This hurts many people, animals, and plants. The greenhouse effect is when the temperature rises because the sun’s heat and light is trappedRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On The Climate And Civilization Essay1571 Words   |  7 Pagestoxic; imagine if severe weather conditions, such as droughts and heat waves was the everyday norm. If action is not taken to reduce the amount of pollution humanity emits into the air, there will be detrimental effects on the climate and civilization. For instance, air pollution harms the health of people, causing respiratory issues, and air pollution negatively affects the climate, causing global warming. Both issues are also detrimental to the future of humanity on earth. Civilization will be forcedRead More14 billion. That’s how many pounds of garbage are thrown into the ocean every year. 46%. That’s the1200 Words   |  5 Pagesbut before you can REDUCE your impact on the earth, you must first know HOW you’re impacting the Earth. Polluti on is one way to negatively impact the Earth, but what is pollution? Defined literally it is the presence or introduction of a substance that has harmful or poisonous effects. The main types of pollution are air, water, land, noise, and light. Air pollution is a serious problem. It occurs when there are harmful amounts of gases, dust, fumes, or odors in the atmosphere.Read MoreCauses And Effects Of Pollution1578 Words   |  7 PagesSpain English IV 8 December 2014 The Causes and Effects of Pollution There are constant news reports about pollution and how it’s destroying earth and how it helps the greenhouse effect on Earth’s atmosphere. There are many different sources of pollution, even some that may not seem likely to produce so much. There are many causes of pollution in the environment. Some include natural sources of pollution and some are caused by manmade sources of pollution. Whether they are natural sources or manmadeRead MorePollution Essay949 Words   |  4 PagesPollution is the introduction of harmful substances or products into the environment (Pollution, 2017). Ever since we were born there has always been a problem with harmful things on our planet. Humans have tried an enormous amount of ideas trying to help the planet. Adults tell the young kids to always recycle or to help the Earth by planting a tree. Those two ideas are spread around the entire world, but there are certain things going around that are not helping the Earth. They are called pollutants

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Adventures Assignment 1 Free Essays

The American University in Cairo School of Business Department of Management MOIS 508 DR. Sami Akabawy Spring 2012 Assignment #1 (Chap. 1,2 3) Hadil Kamel 900-04-0195 Chapter 1: * Why would Carl Williams ask a non-technical manager to assume the CIO position? * For a CIO to be successful, especially at times when IT presents a problem area, he or she has to have more than just solid IT background. We will write a custom essay sample on Adventures Assignment 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The CIO needs to have good management skills; they need to be a fixer. Jim Barton has the required management skills, he is considered as a great manager at IVK; he also had a lot of ideas regarding how IT should be run, and he used to critic Davies, the former CIO, on how to do his job. Therefore, he was a good candidate for this position because the company actually needed a good manager not a good technical. * If you were Jim Barton, would you take the job? * Yes, I would take the job. It is definitely a great challenge for someone with no IT background to become the CIO; however, a good manager should be able to run the business without having the deep knowledge of the matter. I would get the required background through research and learning. * What do the IVK Corporation exhibits tell you about the current state of the company? Given this information, what does IVK need from a new management team under CEO Carl Williams? * IVK statements show that the company has grown recently; however, it was not well planned and that is showing in the huge increase in the operating expenses. This growth was not done efficiently which lead to the decrease in net income despite the increase in total service revenue. The new management team should focus on making proper planning as well as new strategies that focus on managing the operations and resources efficiently and effectively in order to decrease the operating expense and increase the net income. Chapter 2: * How do you interpret the kid’s advice, â€Å"You’ve got to know what you don’t know†? * I think what the phrase means is that in order to become a good leader, you have to know your capabilities and your deficiencies and to be honest with yourself, especially when embarking on a new job you have to position yourself correctly and to give good impression to your employees. You have to know what is it that you lack and either try to learn about it or search for ways that your team could cover for the capabilities that you lack. The kid mainly meant that you can’t over-estimate yourself and like some managers do assume that you know everything about the matter, but rather admit your lack of knowledge in some areas and work on it. * How do you think Davies got fired? How likely it is that Barton will be fired within the year? * I think Davies didn’t have a strong connection with the CEO and his business peers, which lead to a communication problem between the management team and the IT department. I think he may also lack the business skills and competencies. * I think as a successful manager, Barton will be able to handle his job well. With his good managerial capabilities he will be able to develop good collaboration between the technologists and the management team; as well as enhancing and maintaining relationships with other business leaders. * What kind of questions should Barton be asking of CIOs, analysts, investors, customers and other IT movers and shakers? How should he prioritize and organize these meetings? For the CIOs: His questions should be focusing on the nature of the job, the key roles of CIO and the depth of technical knowledge required. * For the analysts: His questions should be on the IT impact on a company’s development. * For the investors and customers: His questions should be about their views on the service the company provides and how to improve it. * I think he should first meet with the CIOs to be able to understand his role and responsib ilities, then with the analysts, then the investors and customers. Chapter 3: Do you think IT management is different from management of other functions? * Yes I think IT management differs from other functions because in It technology moves fast, and you can’t keep up with the fast growing technology that everyday something new is coming up and you always have to be up to dated. Although IT managers were experts in their fields and knew the details about it, new technology comes along and the technical workers are the one who know the details about it and become experts in it to a level that their managers can’t reach. On the other hand, in other functions, the manager can do the job of anyone in his department as well as any of his employees. * What did Barton learn from his trip to the bookstore and late night of studying? * After his trip to the bookstore and late night of studying, Barton realized he can’t get to know in depth everything; it is too much to grasp. * What depth of IT understanding must a CIO leader have to be effective? * The CIO must have enough IT understanding that would give a general background on the matter to be able to assign who knows and does what in his team. How to cite Adventures Assignment 1, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Enterprise Systems on Management Accounting †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Enterprise Systems on Management Accounting. Answer: Introduction: According to the case, the total amount of insurance premium for 24 vehicles will be $9,600. Now as the business follows accrual accounting system and the insurance premium period is January-December for each year, thus as per the companys current financial year, the company has made a prepaid insurance for a period of 9 months starting from April-December which will be recorded in the balance sheet as prepaid insurance (Fullerton et al., 2014). The usage bills are sent on a quarterly and as the companys financial period are January-December, thus the amount for December will be shown in the financial statement of the company as outstanding bill whereas the bill amount will affect the cash flow statement after the actual payment that is on the last day of February (Renz 2016). As the company has purchased the Asset (Computer Network Server) for $12,000 on 30th June, therefore, the depreciation for the same will be applicable from July to March of the next year i.e. for the period of 9 months. The amount of depreciation which is $1,800 will be shown in the statement of Profit and loss as an expenses. Similarly in the financial statement the value of the asset will get reduced by the amount of depreciation as accumulated depreciation (Otley Emmanuel, 2013). However there will be no effect of depreciation on the cash flow statement but the amount of depreciation will get deducted from cash flow from investing activities. Statement of Comprehensive Income RosiInc Statement of Comprehensive Income Particular Amount Amount Sales $200,000.00 Closing Inventory $56,000.00 Opening Inventory $12,000.00 Change in Inventory $44,000.00 Total Income (A) $244,000.00 Expenses Purchase $178,000.00 Administrative Salary $5,000.00 Office rent and utilities $3,100.00 Commission $2,100.00 Depreciation $2,500.00 Income Tax Expenses $12,000.00 Interest Paid $800.00 Dividend Paid $5,000.00 Total Expenses (B) $208,500.00 Net Profit (A-B) $35,500.00 Interpretation of Financial Statement and Ratio Statement showing Ratio Particulars Formula 2012 2011 Profitability Ratio Net Profit $8,100.00 $7,980.00 Income $34,000.00 $29,000.00 Net Profit Margin ratio Net Profit/Sales X 100 24% 28% Liquidity Ratio Current Assets $7,457.00 $6,000.00 Current Liability $4,300.00 $3,750.00 Current Ratio CA/CL 1.73 1.60 Efficiency ratio Days Sales Outstanding ratio AS provided in Exh 5.16 76 59.8 Leveraging Ratio Degree of Operating leverage AS provided in Exh 5.16 11% 9.90% Share Holder Return Return on capital Employed AS provided in Exh 5.16 53.80% 65.70% The Net profit margin ratio indicates the profitability of the company. Increase in the net profit margin ratio signifies that the company is performing well by efficiently utilising its resources and assets. However, in the current scenario, it can be observed from the study of financial ratio analysis that the net profit margin for the year 2011 was 28% that declined to 24% in 2012 (Vakalfotis et al., 2013). This was because the amount of expense was proportionately more than the amount of profit. In 2012 the amount of increase in net profit was only 1.5% and the revenue or income of the company increased by 17% only. Whereas it was found that the expenses for the year has increased significantly by 23%. Thus due to such substantial increase in the amount of expenses for the company the net profit margin ratio has declined by 4% despite of an increase in the figure of net profit and revenue (Cooper et al., 2017). The current ratio indicates the liquidity position of the company. The better the liquidity ratio the more is the company capable to meet its liability (Ax Greve, 2017). In the current scenario the current ratio has increased from 1.60% in 2011 to 1.73% in 2012 which means that it has increased by 8.125%. This is a good sign for the company and it indicates that the company has sufficient liquidity (Messner et al., 2016). The Efficiency ratio indicated how efficiently the company is able to utilise its assets and liabilities internally to produce income. In the present situation, days sales outstanding ratio has increased. This indicates that the collection of the efficiency department of the company has declined (Tappura et al., 2015). On analysing the degree of operating leverage is concerned, it can be observed that it has increased by 11.11% that is from 9.90% in 2011 to 11% in 2012. These suggest that the companys fixed cost is higher than its variable cost (Shields, 2015). This is not at all considerable for the business and require immediate attention in order to bring down the same. As evident from the above analysis that the Return on Capital Employed has declined by 18.11%. In 2011 ROCE was 65.70% which became 53.80% in 2012. The primary reason is the decline in the net profit of the company the ROCE have also decreased drastically over the period (Figge Hahn, 2013). Interpretation of ratios When it comes to evaluating the performances of the business, ratio analysis plays an essential role in it. With the help of various ratio analysis, the profitability, liquidity, solvency and efficiency of the business can be gauged (Morales Lambert, 2013). In order to measure the performance of the business, it is very important to study the trend of those ratio over a number of years. Through such study it can be understood whether they are improving or declining over the time. For example, in order to measure the liquidity position of the business, the current ratio is used. Similarly quick ratio can be used to evaluate the solvency position. Again using the gross profit ratio, the profitability of the business can be analysed (Alawattage et al., 2017). On analysing the ratio of Ratunga Inc. for the past 4 years it can be observed that the business have shown its strengths in terms of sales, return on investment, profitability, leverage, asset utilization, wealth of the shareholders, etc (Alawattage et al., 2017 ). This can be proved by studying several ratios such as the sales ratio in 2009 was 7% which increased to 10.0% in 2012. This indicates that the sales for the business have increased compared to the previous year as a result of which there were considerable increase in profit for the business as well. As it can be observed from the gross profit ratio, which was 28.0% in 2012 that profit have increased by 9.4% in the year 2012. Also the company was able to provide fair return on its investments (Fourie et al., 2015). The return on investment for the company have also increased from 4.1% in 2009 to 5.0% in 2012. This ensures that the company have utilised its resources in appropriate area in order to earn the desired return. Similarly the company was also able to generate decent revenue by utilizing its asset due to which the Asset turnover ratio have also increased. Most importantly, the price/earnings ratio of the business have increased which signifies that there are higher potential of the company to generate higher revenue and growth in future (Jrvinen 2016). However, the key weakness of the business as it can be studied from the ratio analysis is that the return on capital employed for the business is declining over the years and as a result of which the operating profit is also showing a decent fall (Armitage et al., 2016). In addition to this the interest cover is also showing negative results over the years. More importantly from the quick ratio of the business it can be observed that the company is losing its potential to meet the short term obligation as there were significant fall in its quick ratio and it is a substantial threat to the business and requires immediate attention (Klychova et al., 2014). Reference Alawattage, C., Wickramasinghe, D., Uddin, S. (2017). Theorising management accounting practices in Less Developed Countries.The Routledge Companion to Performance Management and Control. Armitage, H. M., Webb, A., Glynn, J. (2016). The Use of Management Accounting Techniques by Small and Medium?Sized Enterprises: A Field Study of Canadian and Australian Practice.Accounting Perspectives,15(1), 31-69. Ax, C., Greve, J. (2017). Adoption of management accounting innovations: Organizational culture compatibility and perceived outcomes.Management Accounting Research,34, 59-74. Cooper, D. J., Ezzamel, M., Qu, S. Q. (2017). Popularizing a management accounting idea: The case of the balanced scorecard.Contemporary Accounting Research. Figge, F., Hahn, T. (2013). Value drivers of corporate eco-efficiency: Management accounting information for the efficient use of environmental resources.Management Accounting Research,24(4), 387-400. Fourie, M. L., Opperman, L., Scott, D., Kumar, K. (2015).Municipal finance and accounting. Van Schaik Publishers. Fullerton, R. R., Kennedy, F. A., Widener, S. K. (2014). Lean manufacturing and firm performance: The incremental contribution of lean management accounting practices.Journal of Operations Management,32(7), 414-428. Jrvinen, J. T. (2016). Role of management accounting in applying new institutional logics: A comparative case study in the non-profit sector.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,29(5), 861-886. Klychova, G. S., Faskhutdinova, ?. S., Sadrieva, E. R. (2014). Budget efficiency for cost control purposes in management accounting system.Mediterranean journal of social sciences,5(24), 79. Messner, M., Becker, A., Schffer, U., Binder, C. (2016). Struggles for legitimacy and identity: the development of Germanic management accounting research.Research Gate, 1-38. Morales, J., Lambert, C. (2013). Dirty work and the construction of identity. An ethnographic study of management accounting practices.Accounting, Organizations and Society,38(3), 228-244. Otley, D., Emmanuel, K. M. C. (2013).Readings in accounting for management control. Springer. Renz, D. O. (2016).The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. John Wiley Sons. Shields, M. D. (2015). Established management accounting knowledge.Journal of Management Accounting Research,27(1), 123-132. Tappura, S., Sievnen, M., Heikkil, J., Jussila, A., Nenonen, N. (2015). A management accounting perspective on safety.Safety science,71, 151-159. Vakalfotis, N., Ballantine, J., Wall, A. P. (2013). A literature review on the impact of Enterprise Systems on management accounting.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Religion in Society

The questions of the people’s social interactions are discussed within the context of sociology, and the persons’ religious beliefs and attitudes are the subject matter of the religious studies. Nevertheless, sociologists accentuate the fact that religion can develop only as the social phenomenon that is why it is important to study religions and the people’s religious views within the society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although religious beliefs and practices are followed by an individual, the religion as the phenomenon has its origins within the definite religious group as the reflection of society. Sociology of religion as the sphere of knowledge combines the approaches utilized in sociology and religious studies in order to examine religious views, people’s beliefs, rituals, and practices which can affect the development of the society and which are the result of the people’s social interactions. Sociology of religion studies the relationship between the persons’ religious visions and practices and the development of the social group. Johnstone states that religion is the group phenomenon that is why those people who follow the same religion also have similar goals and moral principles, and their social development is influenced by their religion (Johnstone 8). However, the process is interdependent because religion emerges as the result of the social growth and the growth of the people’s conscience and morality. Furthermore, â€Å"society precedes religion. Before religion can develop, there must first exist general patterns of social interaction – that is, a society – that can serve as a model† (Johnstone 30). To study the interdependence of society and religion, it is necessary to use the sociological methodological framework and tools in order to analyze t he factual data. Thus, sociology of religion uses the scientific method (Johnstone 6). From this point, sociology of religion is the sphere of knowledge which studies such religious phenomenon as the people’s beliefs and attitudes to the sacred with the help of the sociological tools (Putnam and Campbell). It is important to study sociology of religion because people discuss religion as the significant sphere of their life, and many social processes often have the religious background because they are associated with the people’s beliefs, their attitudes to the sacred and magic, and their moral presumptions. Furthermore, the focus on the diversity of religions provides sociologists with the additional information about the society because all the social groups are different, and those beliefs which are shared by religious groups are also different.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Johnstone, some form of religion exists in any social group, and the rejection of the definite religious beliefs is also the characteristic feature to analyze the peculiarities of this or that community (Johnstone 18-19). The study of religions in their diversity is the key to study the diversity of society. That is why, the subject of sociology of religion is important for studying the world from the sociological perspective and with references to the people’s religious visions. Sociologists are inclined to study the sources and nature of religion using different theories to explain the development of religious beliefs within the society. The rational choice theory is the most controversial theory which is proposed to explain the process of choosing the definite religion to follow. The supporters of the rational choice theory state that persons can choose any religion with references to their personal experience or as the result of analyzing the advantages proposed by this or that religious organization. The problem is in the fact that the rational approach to choose the religion to follow is often discussed as inappropriate because the theory is developed to explain the economic processes, and it cannot be used to discuss the people’s moral or spiritual development and the choice of religion. However, Johnstone provides rather convincing arguments to support the relevance of this theory to consider the persons’ religious choices. According to Johnstone, â€Å"people have a set of mental images stored in their brains with which they make decisions as rationally and sensibly as they know how† (Johnstone 36). The decision about any religion can be also made referring to these images. It is important to note that the rational choice theory is ineffective to explain the origin of religions, but it can be successfully used to accentuate the nature of sharing the definite religious views and beliefs by people who belong to the same group. Johnstone stresses that the rational choice theory â€Å"picks up at the point where religious ideas and systems already exist in some form and people turn to those ideas and systems for answers, consolation, protection, promises, and solutions† (Johnstone 37). Thus, according to the theory, people are inclined to make the most beneficial and rational religious choices. Sociology of religion studies people’s religious beliefs, practices, attitudes, and religions in their variety as the part of the social development because the connection between religion and society is interdependent.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In spite of the fact sociology of religion can be discussed as a comparably new sphere of knowledge, its subject matter is important to be explained with references to the sociological studies developed to analyze the relationship between the religion and society. Thus, religion is the social phenomenon, and it can be studied properly in its connection with social groups which follow definite religious visions. Works Cited Johnstone, Ronald. Religion in Society: A Sociology of Religion. USA: Pearson, Prentice-Hall, 2007. Print. Putnam, Robert, and David Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. USA: Simon Schuster, 2010. Print. This essay on Religion in Society was written and submitted by user JackP0wer to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Religion in Society Introduction Religion is believed to be a systematized compilation of beliefs, traditions, and world analysis that link humanity to religion and to ethical principles at times. A number of people have the belief that religion can only take place in churches, temples, or any other place that spiritual get-together takes place.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the real sense, religion is intrinsic within several characteristics of the society, and that religious way of life unavoidably affects several areas, for instance, political, economical, and ethics in culture. This paper will be addressing the fundamentalism of religion, its influence on politics, its determination in social class, and differentiation of religious expression in gender. The Influence of Religion on Politics A society can stay free with the correct political arrangement. However, this will not be enough. Its efficiency crucially relies on the broader perspectives of culture and communal contexts. Religion matters in politics, as it is a powerful tool when it comes to shaping of culture in terms of good and evil. Conservatives frequently uphold that a powerfully religious society stands more appropriate when it comes to being loyal to freedom ideals. As claimed by Johnstone, religion provides two ideal advantages. It stands out as a foundation that is firm for moral disposition and personal dependability thus instilling honesty, self-discipline, and self-reliance to citizens. Secondly, the citizens are so less probable to be lured to enhance themselves at the outlay of their fellow citizens through government intimidation (Johnstone 92). In addition, religion provides morals as the only option to the nations’ authority consequently acting as a rein on governmental enhancement. Conservatives recurrently conclude that the governmental administration of a liberate d society should engage in active procedures that will help in the promoting and strengthening of religion. This conclusion is however disagreed by many even if the premise is acceptable. Religious Fundamentalism The word fundamentalism is applicable to several religious groups, for instance, Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists to mention a few. The term is also applicable to some of the secular groups both economical and environmental though all of them are different. According to Putnam and Campbell, fundamentalism patents itself as an effort by overwhelmed believers to discover their asylum in supporting themselves with an individuality that is entrenched as a past golden era whose individuality is preceded by an effort to reinstate that golden history (245). Fundamentalism in every religion symbolizes a thrust back against several forms of exterior burden and a reflective panic of destruction habitually at the hands of the current secularists.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The disjointing of religious beliefs and political affairs may be regarded as natural to the societies in the West except it is never the set of circumstances in scores of other cultures. The connection between religious beliefs and political affairs in the western societies has been an aggressive one in the past. It took centuries to solve. For this basis, Putnam and Campbell wrote that secularism has frequently had unenthusiastic consequences if cultures lacked secularizing time (324). For instance, Gamal Abdel Nasser had the idea of separating religious beliefs and political affairs in Egypt. The idea was a violent one, as confirmed by the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates whom he located in prisons of persecution. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the consequences that can result when certain measures are practiced towards spiritual movements. Religious Expression As Deter mined By the Social Class According to Hallahmi and Argyle, American findings can be summarized that they expose a divergence in the temperament of religious participation in diverse classes in America. The middle class affiliates achieve higher scores on institutional participation measures, for instance, church membership and church attendance. Based on the reported religious experiences and traditional belief measures, lower class members score higher. They are also more probable to join and become members of a sect with a subsequent intense of psychological and social involvement (Hallahmi and Argyle 164). They add by explaining the social class differences in religious participation that the members of the lower class tend to hardly engage themselves in all types of voluntary organizations. Like any other kind of voluntary organization, membership in churches is directly related to social class (Hallahmi and Argyle 164). Another explanation is that different social classes have different styles of religious expressions. Therefore, the upper and the middle class protestant church members stress much on formal and organized participation in church activities while working class Protestant church members stress much on the spontaneous and emotional aspects of religious behavior (Hallahmi and Argyle 165). The Difference Made By Gender in Religious Expression In conclusion, it is vital to address the role played by gender when it comes to religious expression. For reasons that value separate investigation, Johnstone mentions that religious sociology has delayed several other areas of expressing seriousness in gender and or taking it acutely (114). However, there has been a debate on why women in the societies from the West are believed to be more religious in relation to men. Major dissimilarities between sex genders become visible on several spiritual characteristics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Putting in mind that women are believed to be the weaker sex, their emotions and feelings are different from those of their male counterparts. Since most of the religious practices involve emotions when put to practice, several women are carried away and or get touched with memories they get when either singing or praying. For instance, it is often seen in churches that women weep when singing worship songs, as opposed to men who regard themselves as tough at heart and in mind. Works Cited Hallahmi, Benjamin, and Michael Argyle. The Social Psychology of Religion. London: Routledge, 1975. Print. Johnstone, Ronald. Religion in society: a sociology of religion. New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2006. Print. Putnam, Robert, and David Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and  Unites Us. New York: Simon Schuster, 2012. Print. This essay on Religion in Society was written and submitted by user Kyla Burt to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Water Pollution in Vietnam Essays

Water Pollution in Vietnam Essays Water Pollution in Vietnam Paper Water Pollution in Vietnam Paper Essay Topic: Water pollution With the rapid growth of industrialization in urban cities, the water around them is getting more and more polluted. One time casually crossed by To Lick River, one of the big rivers in the capital Hanoi, behind the industrial zone. The river water there was polluted seriously and smelt really fetid. A lot of small fishes and other sea creatures were dead and floating on the surface of the river. I was thinking about how people could live near such a polluted environment and eat those poison fishes. They might be in danger. I then topped thinking and went away because that smell made me nauseated. That was the ordeal. However, the rapid growth of industrialization is not the only cause that leads to water pollution in Hanoi; climate changes and using old-dated technology to treat water also impact significantly on the quality of water. Water pollution has left huge problems in Hanoi. Above all, it affects heath negatively because the polluted water sources may produce an increase in disease such as respiratory diseases, water-borne diseases and intestinal sickness among people who live near that polluted environment. Yet, it also affects other economic activities such as agriculture, aquatic sports, fishery and tourism; and threatens the ecosystem. If water pollution gets more serious in the future, it is going to affect the development of economy and society. So, my motivation for doing this research is that I want people to be aware of how serious this issue in Hanoi by presenting some problems regarding to water pollution that Hanoi; besides, I also present some programs or solutions, both effectively and ineffectively, which Hanoi authorities has carried out. First of all, Hanoi is big city with the rapid growth of industrialization. However, this growth has produced a big problem concerning water pollution. Hanoi is listed among ten cities in the world with the highest level of water pollution (Health and Environment: Vietnam to Spend par. 4). The problem is showed clearly in the article Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in River Water of Hanoi, Vietnam Using Multivariate analyses written by Chichi et al. According to the authors, high concentrations of several toxic heavy metals such as Cd, As, Cue, Zen, BP are detected in the water of Nine River and one of its tributaries, the To Lick River, in Hanoi. It is caused by untreated domestic and industrial wastewater charged into the rivers from the factories of mechanical engineering rubber, soap, tobacco, paper and metal located along these rivers. Relating to the problem that stated above, another researcher claims that Hanoi is facing the threat of arsenic pollution originated from underground water, rivers water, ponds water and lakes water. The concentrations of arsenic in the river significantly exceeded the Vietnamese drink king water standard for arsenic (Bang et al 466). According to Rural people provided with water filters to prevent arsenic poisoning, up to 21 percent Of Vietnamese population are exposed to arsenic in drinking water at a level above the acceptable 1 Poop (or 0. 01 MGM of arsenic per liter) recommended by the World Health Organization. Water containing arsenic at high level would cause many serious disease including skin cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, inborn deformities. Besides industrialization, climate change is also one of the causes resulting in water pollution. According to Seminar seeks solutions, the elements of climate changes are changes in temperature, water flows, the transformation of pollutant at catchments and rising sea levels. These changes affect the eater quality significantly. To cope with this problem, Hanoi, December 23 (VAN) The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on December 23 held a seminar discussing climate changes impacts on water resources in Vietnam and measures to reduce water pollution and maintain aquatic ecosystems (Seminar seeks solutions par. 1). Dry. Dang HTH Lana Hung from the Department of Water Resources Management states Vietnam should consider recommendations issued by the US in its global climate change research programs to timely deal with climate changes impacts on water resources (CTD in Seminar par. 3). According to Hung, the country should creates water management policies so as to use water resources effectively and efficiently and should study methods to treat and reuse Wastewater and desalinate sea water along with improving a legal framework for water management and distribution. Water pollution doesnt only happen in urban centers, but also happens in craft villages in Hanoi. The main cause leading to water pollution in craft villages is that traditional craft villages still currently use old-fashioned technology, causing water pollution and harm the human health. The water around there has been seriously polluted. The latest survey by the Hanoi University of Technology showed that 100% of the samples of wastewater from craft villages have excessive contents of toxic chemicals than the permitted levels (Health and Environment Vietnam Hanoi par. 1 1). In the craft villages, the number of people with serious diseases like cancer has risen in recent years. The city has carried out a lot of big projects on water treatment system for craft villages with the capacity of 1 cubic meters per day (Heath and Environment Vietnam Hanoi par. 7). Yet, to deal with this problem, Professor Dry Dang Kim Chi, Chair of the Vietnam Association for Environment Protection, stressed that local authorities should program craft villages development and demand to strictly follow the environment protection rules, rather than gathering strength on settling consequences (CTD. N Health and Environment Vietnam Hanoi par. 8). Also, Hanoi planned to carry out 35 from now until 2015 period for solving water pollution problem in craft villages in Hanoi. Nevertheless, those are not still proper solutions so far. Water pollution problems solving has still been a big question in craft villages to Hanoi authorities. To deal tit arsenic pollution, some communes of north ern Ha Name province have been provided with free-of-charge water filters to reduce the risk Of arsenic poisoning for the local population (Rural people). The filters are set up to remove toxins and retain useful mineral. The project was processed by The National Centre for Safe Water and Environmental Hygiene with the assistance from the United Nations Children Fund (EUNICE) in coordination with the HCI Ltd. Co, a Swiss invested company in Vietnam specializing in water treatment technologies (Rural people). That helps reduce significant amount of arsenic in water. The same problems concerning water pollution have also happened in other cities in Vietnam. The authorities have attempted to fix those problems. In Quant Name, a province in the middle of Vietnam, a seminar was held on March 25, 2009 in support of water pollution control project (Seminar seeks to improve par. 1 The project would be implemented in the central Quant Name and some provinces in the North. The project spent 330,000 USED to carry out with funding assistance from World Banks Institutional Development Fund (WIBNI). Environmental experts presented the important role of the media and local communities in support f water pollution control in Vietnam m. Another solution for water pollution control is the cooperation with another country. According to Vietnam, Mexico to raise cooperation in land management, water resources, Ministers Of the Environment and Natural Resources of Vietnam and Mexico had a meeting on the sidelines of united Nation Climate Change Conference, held in Mexico. During the meeting, both minister agreed that this cooperation between two countries would contribute to international efforts in managing water resources, protecting the environment and decreasing negative impacts of global climate changes (Vietnam, Mexico par. ). Another cooperative project concerning water pollution control was created by the Ho Chi Mini City University of Technology (HOCUS), Thailand-based Asian Institute of Technology (TIT) and the Institute National des Sciences Applied uses (INS) in France (Vietnam has potential par . 3). This project focused on developing local technical and research skills to promote membrane-based wastewater reuse activities in the country. The principle in membrane technology is the forced selective passage of solute or solvents through special membranes, resulting in separation of individual constituents in the influent. This project was coordinated by local authorities and nation government authorities and gave good results with treated water in some industrial zone in the South. The above studies show that Hanoi as well as other cities in Vietnam is facing serious threats from the polluted water sources caused by industrialization, old-dated technologies and climate changes. Among above causes, industrialization is the leading cause of water pollution. The factories which located along rivers have discharged untreated industrial wastewater into the rivers. It creates the high level of water elution by heavy metal and arsenic, which affect health negatively. Moreover, the traditional craft villages still currently use old-fashioned technologies to treat wastewater. The elements Of climate changes such as changes in temperature, water flows and rising sea levels affect the water quality significantly. Water pollution has left huge problems. It affects health negatively by causing many serious disease including respiratory disease, water-borne disease, intestinal sickness, skin cancer, liver cancer and lung cancer. In addition, it threatens the ecosystem and other economic activities such as agriculture, as attic sports, fishery and tourism. Vietnam authorities have attempted to find out the solutions to solve these problems. Vietnam carried out a lot of projects in coordination with foreign companies such as Swiss invested company to specialize in water treatment technologies with funding assistance from EUNICE. Another project was created by HOCUS, TIT, INS in France. Vietnam also received funding assistance from WIBNI. Furthermore, Vietnam cooperated with Mexico in managing water resources and decreasing negative impacts of global climate changes. However, those solutions are not enough to decrease the level of water elution significantly. In my opinion, needs to make more efforts on solving this problem by reinforcing and revising Law on Environmental Protection and Development. These laws should restrict the industrial factories from discharging untreated wastewater into rivers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Article the star response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article the star response - Essay Example Very much like these church furnishings, he was as inconspicuous as the window fixtures, his skin pallid as the walls and his face topped with a few wisps of hair was left as blank as the faces of the stone-cold saints by the deteriorating disease that appears to have drained the life out of him even before his time was up. One Sunday I saw him and I said to myself, â€Å"This guy’s definitely a saint’s buddy, I bet his prayers go straight up to heaven.† That Sunday, he was strangely paler than his usual pallor and he was not walking; he was painstakingly dragging himself towards his favorite saint. I never saw him again after that Sunday. On yet another Sunday, curious on what happened to the man, I asked one of the church regulars on the guy’s whereabouts. I have learned he had died the night of the last Sunday I saw him. I never found out what disease he had but from the looks of it he may have had a cancer of some sort. Whatever condition he may have had, what happened to the man had struck questions and doubts in my mind. Why was he denied of the miracle he had prayed for almost everyday? Was the saint, his buddy, too busy to hear out his sole supplication? Was it too much to ask for him to be eased of that agonizing pain that caused him to drag his feet just to go to church? Yes. What happened to that man had caused an immense blow on my faith not on God but on the saints I take little notice of at church and I reiterate, my faith on God did not falter but doubts on these marble statues at church had launched a massive attack on my belief on what the church had introduced as ‘saints’. I stand by the basic principle that God can never be cruel and would never give false hope to Men. These thoughts clouded my mind and covered my ears which caused me to not hear what was said during the service. The service ended and I remained sitting still, oblivious to the faint bustle of the leaving churchgoers. As I came to my senses, I

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Five key objectives for Eastman Kodak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Five key objectives for Eastman Kodak - Essay Example According to the paper  Kodak was considered as the most profitable corporation in America, which gave its shareholders a return of 18% for many years. The company has continuously invested in developing its competitive advantage in photography business. It is observed that 40% of the revenue of company came from outside United States (US). Though the company had encountered huge profit but the situation was not the same over the past few years as it encountered external pressure in form of competition.This essay discusses that  the new objective changed the imaging group of Kodak which included motion pictures, consumer products and audiovisual products, consumer electronics and photo finishing. The new objective filled the gap in the product line by introducing several new products, which are either prepared by Kodak or any Japanese manufacturers or sold it under the name of Kodak. In order to manage the market share of the company, Kodak took major steps to solidify the market of film processing. It has strategized to stem the flow of low cost foreign photography papers for acquiring control over processing market. The company has also acquired many companies in order to make its base strong in electronic photography sector. This acquisition increased the number of customers for chemical paper products. The declining profit of the company was forced to maintain tits level by massive cost – cutting, which improved efficiency of the products related to photography.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Revolutionaries and Freemasonry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Revolutionaries and Freemasonry - Research Paper Example It often calls itself "a strange system of ethics covered in allegory and demonstrated by symbols (Word IQ.com, 2010). As King (1998) asserts, freemasonry is the worlds oldest and leading system. Its customs look back to most basic history. Masonry in its existing structure appeared when the inhabitants of London, England perceived its public incidents in 1717. Although masonry, mainly in its initial days had some aspects of confidentiality, the first publicity of the evidently highly confidential Masonic ceremony essentially emerged in 1696. Tens of thousands of books has been published about this secret organization since then. In spite of the good works done by its members, Freemasonry has repeatedly suffered the slings and arrows of those who seek to use its silent nature in opposition to it for over three hundred years. Freemasonrys singular principle is to make good men better and its bonds of friendship, kindness and brotherly love have survived even the most divisive political, military and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is neither a forum nor a place of worship. It i s not a religion nor does it teach a religious philosophy. For almost three hundred years, it has attracted men of high moral character who support the doctrine of self-control, resilience, caution and justice. Great thinkers and revolutionaries were highly influenced by the Masonic dogma and activities. It is asserted that advancing in time from 1789, enormous revolutions were led by Freemasons: Simon Bolivar, Josà © de San Martin and Bernardo O’Higgins in South America; Vicente Guerrero, and later Benito Juarez, in Mexico; Josà © Marti in Cuba, Josà © Rizal in the Philippines, and Giuseppe Garibaldi in Italy. Most remarkably, the Texans who rebelled against the government of Mexico, and fought a triumphant war of secession, were mainly masons, and certainly, all the presidents and vice-presidents of the Republic of Texas were masons too

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Definition of Europe in the 21st Century

Definition of Europe in the 21st Century Europe is ringed from Kalingrad in the North, to the Caucasus and Central Asia, to the Balkans by an arc of danger and instability. (EU Commissioner for external relations Christopher Patten, July 2001). Does this mean that at the present time Europe and the European are one and the same thing? Introduction: The European or EU citizen is at the present time becoming synonymous with the definition of the point to where the continent of Europe extends. This seems to be the case with the present reaction to enlargement and the focus on crime from outside the borders of the EU and the fears of crime from the newly integrated countries and from those countries that ring the EU. Enlargement will illustrate the new tiered system in the EU, the newly ascended countries from post-Communist countries, which are viewed as not truly European. Therefore this discussion will illustrate how the definition of what Europe is in the 21st Century has been narrowed from the expanse of the European continent to the membership of the EU; whereby countries are aiming to join this political unit in order to gain legitimacy within the global political and economic structure. Enlargement A Case Study of a Narrow Definition of Europe: Enlargement of the EU is a mixed blessing, because on one hand it is helping to achieve a status of stability and cohesiveness throughout the region. On the other hand, there are concerns that in making the Union larger will in fact de-stabilize the region. This is due to prejudice of certain groups which would have free access in the region, one such group are the Roma Gypsy migrants from Slovakia. In the past few months the newspapers have displayed the concerns of the British public and politicians about these migrants when the nation joins the EU. Therefore this introduces the question whether the EU really respects the integrity of cultural difference? Other problems include the possible de-stabilizing of the economy by incorporating smaller, less affluent countries; marginal and war torn countries; and transitional countries. These countries could also cause the EU problems in regard to its unique approach of ensuring cohesiveness by using the rule of law, because if the EU get s too large it may not be possible any longer to ensure its political and legal stability. Therefore the consistency and coherence that the rule of law ensures is no longer apparent due to the sheer size of the Union. Another problem lies in the fact that smaller nations may not have the legal, political and economic clout to ensure that their agenda is considered. Although previously it has been mentioned that the EUs rule of law acts as a check and balance to more powerful nations, in truth the original countries in the EU were mainly ex-colonial empires. The newer nations that are joining the EU are akin to colonies of a colonial power, therefore there is an inherent imbalance in the Union. However in response to the negative effects of the possible de-stabilization of the region, one must consider that in order to join the Union each nation must have fulfilled the Copenhagen Criteria. This criterion states that each joining nation must be: Be a stable democracy, respecting human rights, the rule of law, and the protection of minorities; have a functioning market economy; adopt the common rules, standards and policies that make up the body of EU law. The EU paints a very enthusiastic picture of enlargement, where the only outcome of enlargement is beneficial. In truth this is a very lopsided picture because of the public outcry against the possible immigration into the original EU states. This can be seen in the article by Cathy Newman in the Financial Times: Britain will throw open its doors to workers from the former communist countries joining the European Union on May 1, but those that refuse to get a job will be denied benefits and thrown out, the government has pledged Tony Blair after months of pressure from the Tories and the right wing press over fears of an influx of immigrants from the former Soviet bloc vowed: If they cant support themselves, they will be put out of the country. This article illustrates the problems that have occurred within one nation over the policy of enlargement. Although the enlargement is supposed to bring together the European region, the public opinion of at least one EU nation is resisting the expansion, in relation to economic migrants migrants which the nation has traditionally refused asylum applications. However these fears may be unfounded because as Kraus Schwager argue that increased migration from East to West EU countries would only occur under the fear of rejection to Union membership. In fact they argue that the EUs expansion will have a beneficial effect on the economy of these smaller nations and this will result in a boost of their economies and job market, hence reducing the amount of migrants from East to West. The conclusion of their article they state that: Policy makers who are, for whatever reason, reluctant to accept large numbers of immigrants should not feel troubled with enlargement. On the contrary, the prospect of joining the EU may well reduce immigration. The economic and social benefits which probably accrue to Eastern Europe from accession should be presented as a means to reducing the incentives to emigrate. Policies which enhance convergence of income levels in eastern and Western Europe, such as the internal market and, possibly, Structural Funds should be promoted. .. In this process, diverging interests of major EU members have created substantial uncertainty about the date and conditions of accession. It is quite plausible that such uncertainty has raised the fear among potential migrants that accession may fail or be postponed for a long time. According to our result, this may have increased immediate immigration. Thus, if immigration is not desirable, for future accession rounds a straightforward and predictable neg otiation process is to be recommended. Hence Kraus Schwager argue that the fears of the right, which have been fed to the public through the media, concerning immigration from the East that will de-stabilize the economy, have no place. This is because the possible migrants would prefer to stay in their homeland with a stronger and growing economy rather than move to another nation. However, although these fears may be unfounded the resistance to these new citizens from the Eastern Europe illustrates the possible de-stabilization of the EU politically. In addition to this it causes problems legally because the cornerstone and the uniqueness of the EU lies within the rule of law and one of the most important laws that is upheld is the Free Movement of EU Citizens, which includes their ability to trade, reside and work in part of the EU. Yet, the accession of the new Eastern European nations has heralded blocks to this ability by many of the original and major EU players. In the UK it has caused a debate because the governme nt was going to allow a free movement of possible immigrants but this has been resisted by the right, as well as members of the public. This is illustrated by the arguments of Michael Howard, leader of the Conservative Party: Mr Howard, seeking to make political capital out of Labours discomfort on the issue, will accuse the Government of complacency over the implications of the EUs expansion in May. This comes as the Government sought to play down fears that Britain would be flooded by migrants seeking work in more prosperous parts of the EU. During a high-profile visit to Burnley, the scene of race riots in2001, Mr Howard will demand that Britain copy the transitional arrangements adopted by Germany and France to prevent citizens from new EU members from working there. Mr Howard will say: The Conservative Party has always supported the enlargement of the EU to take in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe. We continue to do so. But he will continue: Almost every other country in the EU has quite rightly taken the precaution of putting in place transitional arrangements to deal with immigration from the accession countries. It is still not too late for the British Government to put in place transitional arrangements as well. If we were in government, we would do so. The Government has approached this problem in typical fashion. First it failed to address it, then it ignored it, now it is claiming to face up to it. In short the cohesiveness that the EU has claimed will occur with the enlargement has not happened in the expected manner. Ever since enlargement there have been a greater amount of problems combating organized crime, because of decreased security, corruption of public officials in favour of organized crime groups in the newly acceded nations and the breaches of human rights in arrests. Therefore this creates problems for combating organized crime with either prisoners being let off on technicalities, the vastness of places to hide decreasing the effectiveness of policing or the police not interested in fighting organized crime. Kennedy has commented that the EU is committed to justly and fairly fighting organized crime within the realms of human rights and justice; however its weakness is that it relies only on specific domestic member state intelligence: We are being told that Europol and Eurojust the new European body to strengthen collaboration between justice ministries and prosecution services- will only act on specific intelligence. This is to rely on the integrity of the state and its officials [I]t also means relying on the intelligence of other countries and, as I have said before, we have no idea about how this may be collected and by what standards. Justice does not permit shortcuts, but governments will readily pursue quick and dirty solutions to problems if not kept under scrutiny. Therefore by purely relying on only specific intelligence this will reduce the effectiveness of the fight against organized crime, especially when there is the added problem of corrupt post-communist regimes that have joined the EU after enlargement; whereby the true European, i.e. the EU citizen needs to be protected especially those original member states which define the true Europe.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Fantasy and Dream work in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Essay -- Cabinet

Fantasy and Dream work in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari The silent expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari exposes psychological guilt and insanity through the main character's fantasies and delusions. This character, Francis, brings the viewer into a nightmarish world through his story-telling. He recounts the story of the mad Dr. Caligari and the somnambulist Cesare who is under his control. The doctor's arrival in Francis' hometown results in a string of murders, the death of his best friend Alan and the kidnapping of his beloved fiancà ©e Jane. Francis tells this story as if it were true, but in the end he is revealed as a patient in a mental hospital. The film does not confirm whether Francis' story is reality, but Freudian theory suggests that this story is a wish fulfillment. Francis' neurotic mind created and mistook this fantasy for reality in order to displace the guilt over his friend's death by means of dream work and displacing his guilt onto the somnambulist Cesare. Neurosis is characterized by a retreat into ones imagination and alienation from reality. According to Freudian theory, this is also typified by believing a fantasy to be the truth. "Neurotics turn away from reality because they find it unbearable; the most extreme type of this turning away from reality is shown by certain cases of hallucinatory psychosis which seek to deny the particular event that occasioned the outbreak of their insanity" (Freud, 301). In this passage, Freud describes the psychological techniques that a neurotic mind uses in order to cope with a traumatic event. Instead of coming to terms with their trauma, the mind will alter the events and shape them around a delusion in order to produce a more pleasing conc... ...ing fantasy. In addition, Dr. Caligari and Cesare are not real people; they are fragments of Francis' psyche and serve the purpose of objects onto which the blame is displaced. The filmÕs ambiguous ending leaves the validity of Francis' story unknown because his illness is not explicitly confirmed. However, Freudian theory clarifies this uncertainty by showing that Francis has fantasized the entire story to satisfy his guilty mind. Bibliography The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Dir. Robert Wiene. Perf. Werner Krauss, Friedrich Feher, and Condrad Veidt. Decla-Bioscop AD, 1920. Freud, Sigmund. The Freud Reader. Ed. Peter Gay. New York: W.W. & Norton. ---. Writings on Art and Literature. Ed. Niel Harz. Janowitz, Hans, and Mayer, Carl. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. (1920). http://www.cs.nyu.edu/kandathi/scr/caligari.txt

Monday, November 11, 2019

Odysseus and Supernatural Beings

Odysseus and Supernatural Beings Throughout Homer's Odyssey, there are many supernatural beings that interact with Odysseus. These beings play an important role as either advisors, temptations or foes to Odysseus. Throughout his journey he is confronted with conflicts where he is either helped or hindered by these supernatural beings. Below are some examples of the beings that either helped or hindered Odysseus during his journey. The goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, is the most powerful intelligent and influential woman in Odysseus’s life. She is always at his side. She speaks on behalf of Odysseus, telling Zeus, her father, that her heart breaks for forlorn Odysseus. Odysseus longs to see the curls of smoke rising from his home fires in Ithaca, she says, but Calypso will not loosen her hold on him. She reminds Zeus that Odysseus dedicated many burnt offerings to him at Troy. Swayed by her words, Zeus sends the messenger god, Hermes, to Calypso’s island with a command to release Odysseus. Athena aids Odysseus in many ways throughout his entire journey, like when she changes the course of events that take place when he first meets the princess Nausicaa of Phaeacia. Athena changes the course of the ball that the girls are throwing so that it falls on Odysseus and wakes him up, leading him to meet Nausicaa. Many times Athena convinces Zeus and the other Gods that Odysseus is worth saving. Perhaps the most formidable foe of Odysseus is the sea god Poseidon, who continually attempts to thwart the efforts of Odysseus to make a safe journey home. On one of Odysseus adventures he angers the great sea god, Poseidon, by blinding his son, Polyphemus, king of a race of one-eyed giants who inhabit the island of Sicily. In retaliation, Poseidon relentlessly torments Odysseus after he leaves Sicily, imperiling his voyage at every turn. He is aware that he cannot kill nor stop Odysseus but continues his efforts to make Odysseus journey throughout the story full of peril. An example of Poseidon’s wrath is seen as soon as he arrives back from Ethiopia and spots Odysseus making passage towards Phaeacia, he says, â€Å"Just look at him there, nearing Phaeacia’s shores where he’s fated to escape his noose of pain that’s held him until now. Still my hopes ride high-I’ll give that man his swamping fill of trouble,† Poseidon attacks Odysseus with a giant wave, and destroys his newly crafted raft. Odysseus survives with the help of the sea nymph Ino . The beautiful goddess Calypso who falls in love with Odysseus after he washes ashore on her island. Calypso, by means of enchantment, holds him prisoner there for seven years. Calypso used trickery and deceit to have possession over Odysseus. She was a beautiful nymph with a wonderful voice. Calypso uses these advantages to get what she wants. Calypso tries to make Odysseus her husband and asks him if he would want to be immortal by staying on the island with her. Odysseus tells her â€Å"I each day I long for home, long for the sight of home†¦. † In the end, the Gods overpower Calypso into letting him go, but she still demonstrates the god's idea as if it was her own. She tells him â€Å"O forlorn man, be still. Here you need grieve no more; you need not feel your life consumed here; I have pondered it, and I shall help you go†¦. In the end, she helps Odysseus after releasing him by providing him a raft and provisions to help him on his way without incident if the gods wish it. In conclusion, Odysseus, a mortal, is both helped and hindered by these supernatural beings. He encounters the wrath of Poseidon numerous times throughout his travels. He was held captive by Calypso on her island while longing for home. The Goddess Athena guided and protected hi m the most throughout his travels. Without the aid of these supernatural beings, the journey of Odysseus would not have been the brave, courageous, and risky adventure that it was.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Architecture in Puritan Era essays

Architecture in Puritan Era essays Starting as nothing but vast frontier land, and followed shortly later when the United States developed into a nation, the U.S. was heavily influenced by the styles of art and architecture of European societies. Colonial Architecture reflects that of European nation, those that had to adapt to the dangers and harsh weather conditions of the vast wildernesses. If the weather conditions were dominantly rain then the homes would be equipped to disperse large amounts of water. If the conditions in the land called for wind protection because of windstorms or just large gusting periods during the day then the shelters would be built with strong materials so the shelters would not be blown over. In the western part of the colonies Spanish influences prevailed more heavily and were shown in the structures that the early Spanish colonists built, while English styles, and some French predominated in the east. When the colonists came to the U.S. they only brought knowledge of their countries bu ilding styles so in order to invent newer styles they had to start out with basic homes until they could design their own newer upscale homes to display their talents. This early period they called Saltbox architecture. A typical home during the first few years in the colonies was a log home or a cape cod, which was about one room deep, or if the house called for and the owners had enough money the home had a chimney. With the Saltbox era coming to an end the architects looked to styles from their homelands. Many of the architects coming from Europe adopted their styles into American society and started to build homes that resembled some back in Europe. The late 1700s and early 1800s the Spanish colonists of the southwest encountered a native building tradition in adobe, which used readily available materials suited to their climate and would be reflected in the building structure. Adobe building structures were show...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Platos thoughts about education

Platos thoughts about education The modern governing system is a complex network of political parties, and the work of such parties involves moving towards the administration and order in the country. Very often, there are inequalities in the rulings of the governments and social divisions.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Plato’s thoughts about education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The battle between different classes in society, democracy, human rights and the type of government are born through people having private property and the amount, as well as quality of the said attributes connected to the government and its goals. Plato was one amongst several famous thinkers who extensively spoke about government, its types and how the social life and education were all interconnected within a civilized nation. The reality of today shows that there are many people who possess much more than is needed for the necessities of life. This can be said about any society, as there are always people who are more successful than a large portion of the population and this is true of any nation. Modernization has changed the world, as such, information and knowledge- education, is beginning to play the most important role in the governance and understanding of politics and how the world works. Plato’s thoughts about education focused on the search for talented people and then giving them best education. Then, these people will be running the country because they are better skilled and educated. The state or government will be responsible for giving education to the children and so, the people will get the learning and training that the government and society must have for a well-balanced population. Arts, music and moral development were key points in Plato’s understanding of the learning process which leads to proper governance. Both Aristotle and Plato believed that people must be well educated for the state and benefit of society. Aristotle’s strategy in education, on the other hand, is more structured and repetitive, and it is a good thing because it makes a person used to the order. But human nature is a big part of learning process and a person must trust his or her own feelings and thoughts.Advertising Looking for book review on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Plato’s â€Å"Republic† is filled with moral questions that pertain to forms of government and the most rightful way of carrying out order. One of the problems of the governmental system is that it is centralized; this leads to an inability to closely detail the issues that are the concern of localities and communities. The government should adhere to the issues of the society and the needs of majority. It is extremely difficult to analyze the necessities of people when the physical and moral location is so far away. The workin g class is forced to exist down below, as they have no voice and ability to spring to power. This type of life was existent before and is still continuing. People are very much limited by their resources and ability to voice an opinion that will be heard. One of the most important aspects of any national and working class movement is the organization. The population must be educated on the current issues and unite with the common goal. The main point is to establish a democratic government. It is also desired that countries increase their standards to the international level and join in the mission to help others. This is the time when the developed and the developing worlds should come together in the common direction towards democracy and world peace. This can be seen as a globalization of the world but without the negative effect, which is usually attributed to globalization, in destroying the fabric of the country and its culture. Presently, the countries that are members of NAT O are all liberal market democracies and the decisions taken are usually put forward by the richest members. Moreover, in finding ways on how to address the poorer nations and help them find new ways of functioning, the members simply try to include their participation in the market economy, instead of helping directly. As Plato’s views are reflected in Aristotle’s writings on constitution and government, it is clear that the best type of government is where people have their rights and freedoms protected, and the government exists for the people. As such, the implementation of certain conditions that would require a country to change economic and political set up and act as a tradeoff between people and rulers, it could be one the best avenues to take.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Plato’s thoughts about education specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is greatly noticeable that the cooper ation between the counties and nation with democracy is beneficial to the partnering nations or each individual one. Comparing to the countries where there is anarchy, people live for constant fight with the hope to someday attain victory. The political system of the world makes cooperation very hard but not impossible. One of the most important aspects of democracy between democratic countries, are the citizens and the opinions and relationship they have with the government. It is obvious that even in the ancient times people realized that democracy and parliament are the best primary form of government, while the cooperation and unions of countries and nations is the second step in world unification. Classical conservatives define true national freedom as a privilege that must be controlled from reaching chaotic behaviors. Freedom itself is a good thing but when people are allowed to do whatever they want, they start to act in their own interests and to the detriment of society. T he government exists, so that it places certain restrains on the individuals in their actions. It must be a part of the orderly system that acts in the greater good of the whole society. The government is beneficial, as it sets criteria on what people can and cannot do, in a civilized manner, thus contributing to the freedom of everyone equally. Aristotle transfers over an idea that was shared with Plato, which is a form of â€Å"personal† relationship with the state or government. There must be a mutual and beneficial relationship between the two, as royalty and trust are an intricate part of any action. The liberals suggest that a government is true when it acts in the greatest benefit of people, works towards disarming of the military while conservatives apt for armed control.Advertising Looking for book review on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There has been an idea that in case disarming does take place, if there was a chance of war breaking out, the peaceful countries would gather their forces in advance. This would create a great amount of force and deter any violent conflict. In the study of the reasons why democracies have the right idea, realism is the method that is used most often. It is governed by the criteria that all states move towards power and security, while having an anarchic system. And in reality, it is the international system and not the governments themselves that determines the policies of a country. There were several studies that tried to find out the real reason why there was no open conflict between democracies. Some research showed that alongside war there were questionable conditions: civil strife, trade practice, covert subversion. At the same time, there was crisis-management, alliance membership, international treaties and dispute mediation. In reality, it is hard to establish if the democr atic countries are more perfect. There has been countless research that tried to prove if this fact is indeed true. The results showed controversial information; with some even being that this statement is not true. The problem lies in the times that these researches were carried out and the way the society and the world organizations defined proper state of affairs, conflict and peace. Very often, it was said that the only thing that these countries avoided, was openly violent conflict. Throughout history the government has exhibited certain qualities that stay the same even in the modern days. People are always demanding better lives and the governments come up with reasons why these demands cannot be met. In the end, the social battle is between two organizations. The government which has all the resources, power and control and the social class that struggles to make ends meet and support the order and proper ways of life. There are people that know things re supposed to be, and they are thought of as the great thinkers. It is a sad truth, but it should be the other way around, people with great ideas in the government, instead of as outsiders and simple folk.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The challenge of accommodation for Students at the University of Kent Essay

The challenge of accommodation for Students at the University of Kent - Essay Example Currently, the University of Kent, Canterbury Campus houses only 5,000 students within its accommodation facilities, which comprises of flats, houses or college rooms (University of Kent, 2013:n.p.). The Campus offers the accommodation facilities either on a self-catered or part-catered basis, meaning that the students have to cater for some of their essential living requirements, even when accommodated within the University’s accommodation facilities (University of Kent, 2013:n.p.). The other major challenge associated with the accommodation at this Campus is that; even where the accommodation can be provided, especially for students with disabilities, they are required to meet the costs of carers (University of Kent, 2013:n.p.). The student population data of University of Kent, Canterbury Campus indicates that by 2013, the Campus had a total student population of 19,275, comprising of 17,248 full-time students, with an additional population of approximately 2,027 part-time students, and an additional resident research staff of 600 (University of Kent, 2013:n.p.). The University of Kent describes itself as UK's European university, considering that it comprises of a combination of both local and international students (The Guardian, 2013:n.p.). The international student population within University of Kent is substantial, with the foreign student population comprising of 15.5% the total University’s population, who are recruited from across 145 countries globally (University of Kent, 2013:n.p.).

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Economic Decisions Made by Business Interests Research Proposal

Economic Decisions Made by Business Interests - Research Proposal Example However, this is a tool to help the society together. The skills of learning how to run a business and how to sell products are an asset that the women can use in any form at any time. This helps them develop skills that they never had, therefore improving the level of education already. Secondly, due to the business, the standard of life improves when women run a business. They are able to double their monthly household income, which automatically helps. Thirdly they are able to reduce child labor and keep their children in school for longer. Due to this the education level increases and this will automatically help in increasing the literacy rate. If these assets of training would only help in achieving one thing, selling than this wouldn’t be counted as a tool. However, this helps improves the standard of living and increases the literacy level. Therefore increasing the betterment of Indian life overall. Any decision made by will always affect the society if it is a helpful decision it can be referred to as a tool to better the society.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

EMBA 560 Executive position week 1 discussion 1 Essay

EMBA 560 Executive position week 1 discussion 1 - Essay Example Not too long afterward, traditional consensus shifted from the belief of a predestined leader to the idea that there were natural-born leaders – that is, individuals who have the natural traits that are associated with good leaders. The concept of ‘leadership’ shifted at this point, from the view that leaders were great people who defended their people during wartime, to the concept of leaders who competently acted as stewards of their people. Leaders were thought to be virtuous, gifted, and had a charismatic appeal that won over people’s loyalty and adulation. The problem with the leadership traits theory is that the good leader eventually was though to possess all the possible positive qualities (and none of the negative qualities), which is an impossible proposition (Ledlow & Coppola, 2010). With the coming of scientific management, it became generally accepted that leaders can be trained and developed. This is the skills approach, indicating that people who are trained at leadership skills (technical, human relations, and conceptual) can become good leaders. Simultaneous with this is the leadership style theory, which categorizes a leader as autocratic, democratic, charismatic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire, and a host of other styles. While leadership skills are the capabilities with which an individual functions in the duties of leadership, leadership styles pertains to how the leader relates to his followers. Insofar as ‘skills’ are viewed as talents, then it may be said that talents help make a leader, although not to the exclusion of other factors. More recently, leadership has been viewed as falling into two general categories – transactional and transformational. A transactional leader deals with followers on a transaction basis, that is, if the follower does what is expected, he gets a reward. A transformational leader, though, brings lasting change to his followers so that they are motivated to perform a ccording to expectation. References: Bass, B M & Bass, R (2009) The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Fourth edition. New York, NY: Free Press, Simon & Schuster, Inc. Ledlow, G R & Coppola, M N (2010) Leadership for Health Professionals: Theory, Skills and Applications. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc Waite, M R (2008) Fire Service Leadership: Theories and Practices. International Association of Fire Chiefs. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. 2. In your opinion and experience, what do you believe to be the most important role / duty of an executive. Off the cuff, I (and many others, I would imagine) would feel that the most important role of an executive would be to reach the goal (of the organization) and to maintain the peace. Ultimately, that is the goal of all leaders, particularly in the matter of attaining the objective. That would be fine in the case of short-term projects, where there is a singular objec tive, a definite start and end, and a fixed lifespan. In a continuing undertaking, however, the objective is recurring and people in the organization are made to work together over a long – theoretically an infinite – period of time. In this case, leadership takes on a more profound role, that of motivator for his many followers. From my experience, the best way for a leader to motivate his/her followers is not only to articulate a goal for them, but to provide them with a vision that they can assimilate in their

Monday, October 28, 2019

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Analysis Essay Example for Free

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Analysis Essay In the book, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, A man named Okwonko is desperate to avoid being what his father was like: lazy and undetermined. He is dominated by anger, fear, and impatience which get him in many situations. The tribe of Umoufia represents a civilization that is strictly based off male dominance. Men are only required to be strong, and have a title within the clan; while the women must cook, clean, and take care of the children, and are beat if they do not do so. Umoufia is a tribe that is based off of stereotypes and sexism. Women are looked down upon as objects instead of people. When they are old enough to get married, they do not get to choose, nor does the father choose. The women are bought and sold with sticks, like an animal and not a human being. This shows that the women are not appreciated, nor given any respect or dignity. They are treated more like slaves, and are not seen as important. When in reality, without women, the tribie of Umoufia would be nothing. A man gains respect and popularity in the tribe of Umoufia, is a strong, masculine man with a wife, a strong son, and a tough warrior. All men share the same goal, which is to become one of the lords of the clan. To do this, he is a warrior who is strong, brave, and fearless. Unofia, Okwonko’s father was lazy, poor, and a failure. He hated his father and wanted to be nothing like him. Okwonko has no desires for the pleasures in life, such as: dancing, music, and celebrations. Instead he hungers for power and wealth. This means he must run a strong family and house hold; with multiple wives, and many children. Another part of his masculinity is his duty of a solider. He wants to be physically strong in defending his village from incoming threats. Another way that Okwonko wants to show masculinity is through his children. He wants to pass down all he knows to his kids, and have them do the exact same. The boys shall have their own households and will be strong and proud. When the women shall be good wives, clean, cook, and give birth to many children. Okwonko only wants his kids to have the same traditions as he did, and for it to never change. Some elders believe that it is not right, and that it is right to have change. Okwonko wants his legacy to be kept alive by his children keeping on the same traditions. The women cook and clean, when the men own the household and are in charge. The women are given less credit then they deserve. Okwonko wants his wife to bare him a son, so that he can keep his family strong once he passes away. He depends on the wife to give him a son, and will beat her if she does not do so. When the child is born the wife must raise him and do all of the work. But the child is born to the husband and always owned by the man. Women are very important to the Umoufia tribe, but are treated inhumanly and not seen as a contributing factor of the tribes surviving and thriving. They are beaten regularly if they do not clean, cook, and take care of the house. They are sold as brides, and not given the right to do what they want.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Economic Growth and the Environment

Economic Growth and the Environment Will the world be able to sustain economic growth indefinitely without running into resource constraints or despoiling the environment beyond repair? What is the relationship between a steady increase in incomes and environmental quality? Are there trade-offs between the goals of achieving high and sustainable rates of economic growth and attaining high standards of environmental quality. For some social and physical scientists, growing economic activity (production and consumption) requires larger inputs of energy and material, and generates larger quantities of waste byproducts. Increased extraction of natural resources, accumulation of waste, and concentration of pollutants would overwhelm the carrying capacity of the biosphere and result in the degradation of environmental quality and a decline in human welfare, despite rising incomes. Furthermore, it is argued that degradation of the resource base would eventually put economic activity itself at risk. To save the environment and even economic activity from itself, economic growth must cease and the world must make a transition to a steady-state economy. At the other extreme, are those who argue that the fastest road to environmental improvement is along the path of economic growth: with higher incomes comes increased demand for goods and services that are less material-intensive, as well as demand for improved environmental quality that leads to the adoption of environmental protection measures. The strong correlation between incomes, and the extent to which environmental protection measures are adopted, demonstrates that in the longer run, the surest way to improve your environment is to become rich, Some went as far as claiming that environmental regulation, by reducing economic growth, may actually reduce environmental quality. As agriculture and resource extraction intensify and industrialization takes off, both resource depletion and waste generation accelerate. At higher levels of development, structural change towards information-based industries and services, more efficient technologies, and increased demand for environmental quality result in leveling-off and a steady decline of environmental degradation (Panayotou 1993), as seen in the Figure 1 below: The issue of whether environmental degradation (a) increases monotonically, (b) decreases monotonically, or (c) first increases and then declines along a country’s development path, has critical implications for policy. A monotonic increase of environmental degradation with economic growth calls for strict environmental regulations and even limits on economic growth to ensure a sustainable scale of economic activity within the ecological life-support system (Arrow et al. 1995) A monotonic decrease of environmental degradation along a country’s development path suggests that policies that accelerate economic growth lead also to rapid environmental improvements and no explicit environmental policies are needed; indeed, they may be counterproductive if they slow down economic growth and thereby delay environmental improvement. Finally, if the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis is supported by evidence, development policies have the potential of being environmentally benign over the long run, (at high incomes), but they are also capable of significant environmental damage in the short-to-medium run (at low-to-medium-level incomes). In this case, several issues arise: (1) at what level of per capita income is the turning point? (2) How much damage would have taken place, and how can they be avoided? (3) Would any ecological thresholds be violated and irreversible damages take place before environmental degradation turns down, and how can they be avoided? (4) Is environmental improvement at higher income levels automatic, or does it require conscious institutional and policy reforms? and (5) how to accelerate the development process so that developing economies and economies in transition can experience the same improved economic and environmental conditions enjoyed by developed market economies? Policy Response In the OECD countries we observe a strong decoupling of emissions of local air pollutants from economic growth. OECD countries have achieved a strong decoupling between energy use and economic growth over the past 20 years, with the economy growing by 17% between 1980 and 1998 and energy use falling by the about the same percentage. Water and resource use continued to grow but at a rate slower than GDP growth reflecting a weak decoupling of the two. Thus decoupling of emissions in OECD and generally the developed ECE countries has been accomplished through a combination of technological change and a strong environmental policy. The latter consisting of â€Å"greening† of fiscal policy, removing subsidies to environmentally harmful activities and the use of economic instruments to internalise environmental cost. A number of EU policy initiatives, such as the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines 2001, among others have promoted a gradual but steady and credible change in the level and structure of the tax rates until external costs are fully reflected in prices, to cope with most of the fundamental structural problem in all developed countries, the unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. In the energy markets these guidelines aim to uses taxes and other market-based instruments to rebalance prices in favour of reusable energy sources and technologies. Other EU initiatives in this direction are the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP), the directive establishing an EU framework for emissions trading, and the Integrated Product Policy (IPP) all of which aim at realigning price relations and stimulating investments in new technologies that promote sustainable development. Member states are encouraged to improve market functioning by addressing market failures such as externalities through â€Å"increased use of market-based systems in pursuit of environmental objectives as they provide flexibility to industry to reduce pollution in a cost effective way, as well as encourage technological innovations†. Economic instruments such as gradual but steady and credible change in the level and structure of tax rates until external costs are fully reflected in prices are promoted as the most efficient means of decoupling economic growth from pollution, as they alter price relations and thereby also drive changes in technology and consumer behaviour (preference) that lie behind the growth-environment relationship. As exemplified by the energy and transport sectors, the EU decoupling policy consists of demand management through full-cost pricing and development of more environmentally friendly alternatives by promoting technological innovations. Since 1990 all economies in transition have made efforts to restructure their energy and transport sectors along market principles and to raise energy prices closer to economic and international levels. However because of the political sensitivity of energy pricing and the lagging reforms in many transition economies a gap of 20-85% continues to persist between energy prices in economies in transition. For example electricity prices for households in Eastern Europe are only 50 percent of those of the European Union; for industrial consumers, electricity prices are closer to their economic and international levels being 20% lower than those of the EU. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has repeatedly called upon its members to raise the prices of various energy sources to their full economic costs and adapt economic instruments to internalise the costs to human health and the environment associated with energy production and consumption. The aim is to decouple emissions from energy use and energy use from economic growth. Despite significant progress towards sustainable development developed countries are still experiencing unsustainable consumption patterns as evidenced by the continued growth of municipal waste and CO ² emissions. As transition economies begin to recover and grow again their emissions and resource use are also growing though less than proportionately. Their GDP energy-intensity, though declining, continues to be several times that of the developed countries while their consumption patterns are tracing the same path as that of their developed counterparts. Further decoupling of growth and environment and progress towards sustainable development calls for action on many fronts by both groups of countries as well as cooperation between them especially in technology transfer: Use of an effective mix of economic instruments such as taxes, charges and tradable permits to correct market and policy failures and to internalise environmental and social costs and induce changes in the composition of consumption and production. Improvement in resource use efficiency and â€Å"dematerialization† of the economy Change in the content of economies growth and this involves adjustments costs which tend to be greater the faster is the rate of change in relative prices; in particular those who lose need to be compensated by those who benefit Introduction of specific policies to preserve the living standards of those directly affected by the required adjustment and to avoid unemployment and social disruption; issues of inequality and social exclusion must be addressed.