Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Suicide Essay

There are over thirty-thousand suicides a year in the United States alone. Whether or not suicide is acceptable is a moral issue. Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative can be applied to this moral issue. Kant strongly disagreed with suicide, because it was not a morally responsible decision; I will give a summary of the Categorical imperative, and use this information to develop an argument that Kant or a Kantian would use to argue against suicide. Kant’s Categorical imperative argued that an action or rule is moral if it is universally good. If everyone sees an action as good and can perform the action than it is moral. The categorical imperative applies to all rational beings regardless of one’s personal motives and desires. Kant believed that we those actions that if you would want an action performed on you than it are moral. â€Å"Act only on that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law (309). † Based on the categorical imperative, Suicide is immoral because it is our purpose to acquire happiness. If we all committed suicide as we pleased, then we would seize to exist, which is unethical. Because suicide prevents us being happy, it is not morally permissible under Kant’s categorical imperative. Humans should be thought of as a means not an ends. If we committed suicide than we are not achieving our potential to be happy, which is unmoral. To Kant suicide was â€Å"in no circumstance permissible. † Kant believed that any man, who would survive a suicide attempt, had now discarded his humanity and was lower than a beast. Suicide degrades our humanity, because it takes away our basic purpose. One could argue that Kant biased to a religious view of suicide being immoral. Kant believes that our lives belong to God and are not ours to end. It is also questionable to categorize our lives as a thing, and debase his humanity over a decision that they have made. Suicide is immoral because it does not bring happiness, and is not universally acceptable. Because we can no longer make moral decisions Kant argues that suicide is not morally acceptable. Kant states that â€Å"It cannot be moral to root out the existence of morality in the world. † Suicide prevents you from performing anymore acts of morality. According to the Categorical imperative, if we can perform a good deed we should, regardless of whether there is anything to be gained. We are bound by a set of universal laws that all should follow unconditionally. We should not commit suicide because; we have an obligation to perform good deeds in the world. Our purpose as humans is to perform good actions in the world, but we cannot do this if we are dead. Committing suicide prevents us from performing actions and is an irrational decision to make, which violates the Categorical Imperative. If one wants to commit suicide they should think of all of the actions that they would no longer be able to perform in death. One should strive to perform moral actions in life and to continue living as long as possible. We are each unique, and have actions that only we can complete. Works Cited Cahn, Steven M. , and Peter J. Markie. Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.

An Analysis of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Essay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgeraldon May 1922. It was later adapted into a movie in 2008. The story is one of its kinds as it is about a person named Benjamin Button who is born with a body of a dying man in his 80s. As the story progress, Benjamin finds out that his physical states are becoming better as he grow. The story mainly focuses on Benjamin’s life particularly on his relationships where he has to go through a lot of conflicts of life. In the resolution, it ends with Benjamin who is also a baby, breathing on his last breath. There are a lot of symbols depicted in the story particularly in the 3 hour movie version which contains symbolisms such as the hummingbird, the clock in New Orlean’s Train Station, the 7 lightning strikes, and Lake Portchartrain. The first symbol is the hummingbird. The bird symbolizes two things which are Benjamin’s life and concept of eternity. Looking at the nature of the bird, it is extremely small in size and in fact, it is the smallest bird in the world. They are very petite and fragile that a single squeeze by a human can instantly kills it. The bird is rarely found because they do not fly in groups. Plus, this is the only kind of bird that has the ability to fly backwards. To relate on the story, the hummingbird appears itself two times; at the sea where Captain Mike Clark dies during the war and outside the Hospital window during the Hurricane Katrina when Daisy is on her deathbed. What makes it ironic is the fact that hummingbirds would not possibly survive in those kinds of events because they are physically weak. The bird cannot fly for too long nor handle rough winds. But they are different in the story. This is why the hummingbird symbolizes Benjamin’s life. Although he is born wit h a body of a dying man, brittle bones, wrinkled skin and even the doctor Queenie called for says that he will die very soon, it never happens. Benjamin keeps on growing strong and moves forward. Moreover, the hummingbird’s ability to fly backwards describes the way Benjamin’s life moves, backwards. Furthermore, Captain Mike Clark has a hummingbird tattoo on his chest. When he was a kid, he dreams of becoming an artist but his father never supports him, saying that he must continue the father’s legacy of being a sail man. It is mentioned in the story where he tells Benjamin about the significance of hummingbird. The wings of a hummingbird look very  much like the symbol of eternity, ∞. Eternity is the idea of life that never ends. Benjamin knows that he is the only one of his kinds and sooner or later, his story will die along his death. Thus, in order to retain his story, he writes a diary and passes it to Daisy so that his daughter will have it. By doin g that, his life may end but his journeys will remain for eternity. Next is the clock in New Orleans built by Monsieur Gateau. He made the clock to tick anti-clockwise because he wants it to be a reminder for all to never forget about the fallen heroes of World War 1. Gateau’s only wish is to turn back time so that he can have his son back who died during the War. The movement of the clock has 2 symbolisms. One is the same symbol as the hummingbird’s ability to fly backwards. The clock is a symbol of Benjamin’s physical state in his life where his body starts from old to young. Another symbol for the clock is that it symbolizes fate’s dominance over life. For Gateau, he is afraid that life is moving by him. He could not accept the reality that his son is no more to be found. It pretty much kills him on the inside that results him to exile from the country. This goes the same towards Benjamin life, no one would wish themselves to be abnormal like him but the thing is, there is no control over it. People can only accept how things go and move on. Another example is Daisy’s car accident, she is capable, talented and has a bright future career in ballet but one accident changes all of it. It is very clear that every action people do, every hard work they put in, every words of prayer they say will eventually depends on one’s own absolute fate. This indicates that people do not have the power to control the future, they can only plan and organize it and leave the rest to fate. Plus, it also questions people whether they are using their time wisely or not because clock never stops ticking. To relate back on Gateau, his action of making the clock from turning how it is supposed to turn (clockwise) can be considered as an act of denial towards fate. The third symbolism found in this story is the lightning that strikes Mr Daws seven times. Mr Daws keeps on saying the same thing to Benjamin as he recalls how he got struck by lightning seven times. The symbolism that can be related to this is the number of lightning strikes Mr Daws get; seven.  This is a symbol of sin a, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. A person can only be in the stage of integrity or despair if he is living in a retirement house, waiting for his death as referred to Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development because old people tend to review their life and reflect on what they have done. Mr Daws could most probably be in despair; regretting actions that he had done in the past. He once mentioned to Benjamin that he is blinded because of one of the lightning that struck him. But the truth is his eyes were never blinded. This shows that Mr Daws is not saying that lightning literally strikes him 7 seven times, but he is just reminiscing about his re grets in life. It shows how much pain and regret he is in that he would not mind it if lightning would ever strike him. Another symbol that has the same meaning as the lightning strikes is the lake Benjamin’s father usually goes to when he was a kid; Lake Portchartrain. Benjamin knows about the existence of this house when his father told him about it. Despite feeling hurt of being abandoned when he was a child by his own father, he brings his father to the lake. This is his way of showing that he forgives his father’s wrongdoings toward him. There at the lake, they do not do any talking, there is only silence as they watch the sunrise. There is a big difference between the ending of Mr Daws and Thomas Button. For Mr Daws, he leaves the world feeling regret while Thomas would surely feel his life as positively integrated because he finally gets to be with his only son, Benjamin whom he thought would never forgive him. In my opinion, the story is very heartwarming. It can open anyone’s heart just by reading or watching it because that was the feeling I felt when I finished watching the movie version. Not only it carries a lot of moral values, the issues depicted in it are very significant for someone to realize the importance of time management. The best moral value that I managed to get from this story is that we must be thankful for the life we have and the things we have today because all of these may never be the same tomorrow. As a conclusion, people must know their purpose of life so that they would not waste it like how it is depicted in this story.

An Ethical Issue Essay

Euthanasia is a hotly debated ethical issue these days, and there are certain arguments for and against its practice. Arguments against euthanasia are usually based on the sanctity of life, and such arguments are often compatible with religion, but arguments for euthanasia concern individual liberty, and a desire to prevent more suffering than is absolutely necessary. In this paper, I intend to address arguments for and against euthanasia, and explain why it is an ethical issue, and conclude that euthanasia, in some cases, should be permissible. Euthanasia is defined as the painless termination of someone’s life, but the ethical dilemma surrounding the topic has to do with whether or not it is alright to euthanize someone who is in a vegetative state, and can no longer think for him or herself, and whether or not assisted suicide is morally acceptable. The first of these scenarios would entail someone, such as a family member or physician, ending the life of someone who is in great pain following an accident, but cannot express their own wishes (whether or not they wish to remain on a feeding tube, or on life support) because of physical body damage, and this is known as passive euthanasia. The other issue, the one of physician assisted suicide, entails someone like a physician assisting someone who is in great pain, but not in need of life support, in committing suicide, maybe by administering a lethal dose of medication, to alleviate the patient’s pain, and this is known as active euthanasia. Both active and passive euthanasia are highly debated ethical issues, as they concern the value of life, and whether or not people are justified in prolonging a life of anguish, or terminating a life of misery. Recently, there have been many controversial cases of euthanasia, or its possibility in cases where it seems necessary to some, such as the cases of Doctor Kevorkian, and Terry Schiavo. The main ethical issues in the cases where Dr. Kevorkian euthanized (performed physician-assisted suicide on) some of his patients regards whether or not a patient should have the potential to decide his or her own fate, and then whether or not a physician should be held accountable for supporting, and aiding in a patient’s decision to end his or her life. This fundamentally boils down to the question of whether or not someone can choose to end their life when that person is in constant pain, but the issue would be complicated by the efforts needed in determining who is in enough pain to be permitted to actively end his or her life, which brings up the question of why everyone cannot choose to terminate their lives. And patients in hospitals do have the right to passively kill themselves, by starving, or refusing treatment, so in some cases, when a patient is prepared to take such measures to end his or her life, it would seem morally permissible for a physician to painlessly facilitate that patient’s suicide. In the case of someone’s euthanasia by the pulling of a feeding tube or the termination of life support, the ethical dilemma surrounds the family, or physician’s authority, when it comes to forcing the person who has brain damage to forfeit medical attention. A patient who is not in a vegetative state can refuse treatment, as that is not actively killing him or herself, but the question in the case of passive euthanasia is whether or not anyone other than the patient who might or might not refuse treatment due to severe pain if he or she were not in a vegetative state would have the authority to pull the plug on that person’s behalf, if the patient had not made his or her desired wishes clear. Religion plays a huge roll in helping people to believe that euthanasia should not be morally permissible, as most religions include some aspect about the sanctity of life, and based on that, they discourage suicide or killing in any form. Christianity in particular regards suicide as a sin, and that makes it difficult for people who wish to die because they are in too much pain, but their religion preaches against suicide. It is even against the law to commit suicide, but lately there have been questions coming out about whether people who are intensely pained by there illness should be exempt from this law, and whether or not doctors would be allowed to aid these suffering patients by providing them with lethal pills, or putting them to sleep by giving them extra doses of their medication. This is active euthanasia, where a patient, or doctor, or the combination of the two, take action to terminate life, rather than let it painfully continue for a long time, as the patient takes medicine and food, or making it drag on for a short, immensely painful period in the case where a patient refuses medication and food. For the most part, any argument against euthanasia must somehow be based on a view that life is sacred, and should never be sacrificed, at any cost, even when there is great pain to be dealt with if the life is prolonged. â€Å"Religious people don’t argue that we can’t kill ourselves, or get others to do it,† a BBC article about religion and ethics reports. â€Å"They know that we can do it because God has given us free will. Their argument is that it would be wrong for us to do so. They believe that every human being is the creation of God, and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit. To kill oneself, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and to deny God’s rights over our lives and his right to choose the length of our lives and the way our lives end. † This summarizes a religious viewpoint that holds that euthanasia is not morally permissible. But for people who are not religious, a more basic argument in favor of euthanasia seems to arise, and that is simply whether or not people should be allowed to forfeit their lives if they are completely unsatisfied with them, or are severely pained by them. So, that might concern a simple case where someone is slowly dying of a terrible disease, and his medication deters the pain to some degree, but he is still miserable. Should that person be allowed to actively (or request that a physician actively) end his life, because he would rather forfeit his life than live on in pain and suffering? That seems to be a highly controversial issue, and from this perspective, it seems that euthanasia should be supported, at least to some degree. This could easily be a pro-euthanasia argument, as the person in pain has the right to forego medication, and refuse food and other life-sustaining attributes, which would lead to the patient’s death after a period of maximal pain, but the patent, without euthanasia, would not have the right to forfeit his life without enduring the pain from the scenario where he refuses treatment if active euthanasia is not permissible. â€Å"Some experts are gunning for a compromise. Zhu Tiezhi, a media commentator,† A China Daily article reports, â€Å"suggests the right-to-die prerequisites: the applicant must have a terminal illness that causes agonizing pain, and the diagnosis must be verified by at least two doctors; the applicant must be in a clear state of mind when he applies for it, and the application process should be repeated at least twice to make sure it is not a spur-of-the-moment thought. † This article was written after a patient who had throat cancer jumped out of a window to end his life after he was told that physicians were unable to assist him in doing so. So it seems that in certain cases, euthanasia is a more humane way for one to end his or her life than to manufacture a way him or herself. â€Å"Our job is to save lives, and we don’t have the right to mercy killing,† said an official at the Changsha hospital,† an official at the hospital in the Hunan Province of China, where the man committed suicide, stated. But in certain cases, lives may only be prolonged, painfully, for a short time, so euthanasia would then represent a painless way of alleviating a suffering patient’s agony. â€Å"Chantal Sebire knows she’s forcing people to make an agonizing decision, but agony is something she knows far too much about,† Bruce Crumley includes in his article, entitled Making a Case for Euthanasia. â€Å"The 52- year-old Dijon schoolteacher suffers from a rare disease that has left her disfigured by facial tumors, which will also damage her brain over time and eventually kill her. Her demand that French political leaders loosen laws against euthanasia has been rebuffed, so Sebire now awaits a judge’s decision on whether existing legislation allows doctors to assist her in ending her pain-racked life. ‘I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about,’† Crumley writes. And unfortunately, the legal system of most countries do not recognize euthanasia as a permissible alternative to prolonged suffering, which causes many to live on in pain, wishing that they could terminate their lives instead of continuing on in agony. This seems like a reasonable right that everyone should be entitled to exercise if the time is right. People should not be forced to, because of the legal issues surrounding the issue, and anyone (such as a physician) involved, be forced to live on in agony when they could end it all by euthanasia. It seems that laws forbidding active euthanasia, or mercy killings, is based on the principle that all life is sacred, and that even extreme suffering should be fundamentally imposed on people if it could occur without their death. So death is legally regarded as impermissible when it is in any way caused by man. But what about the death penalty? There is a scenario where the government does not view life as the most sacred institution, so if exceptions are allowed, why not provide one that alleviates the constant suffering and agonies that plague people who have certain medical conditions, but are not allowed to self-terminate? â€Å"A French woman suffering from an incurable and disfiguring cancer was found dead on Wednesday, two days after a court rejected her request for medical assistance to help end her life, a source close to the government said,† an article from reuters. com reported of the woman who had petitioned to have a physician assist her in suicide. â€Å"Chantal Sebire, 52, whose face was swollen and distorted by a rare tumour in her sinuses, won heavy media coverage and the compassion of many French people in her bid to set a legal precedent for patients like her seeking to end their suffering. A court in the eastern city of Dijon ruled on Monday that Sebire could not have a doctor help her die because it would breach both the code of medical ethics and the law, under which assisted suicide is a crime. † But it seems that the code of medical ethics should make exceptions in certain cases of euthanasia. Forcing someone to die slowly in accordance with some debilitating disease is in no way more ethical or more humane than permitting that person to terminate his or her life painlessly. â€Å"After nine years, 130 deaths, and six trials, ‘Dr. Death’ Jack Kevorkian finally faces jail time for killing a desperate man who came to him for ‘help’ and found only death,† Liz Townsend writes in her article, Kevorkian’s Nine-Year Euthanasia Crusade Leads to Murder Conviction. â€Å"Thomas Youk’s death by lethal injection, administered directly by Kevorkian and nationally televised on 60 Minutes, led to a second-degree murder conviction March 26, but Youk was only one of many people who died to advance Kevorkian’s euthanasia crusade. ‘We believe the verdict should have been premeditated murder, but we’re very elated by the second-degree verdict,’ said Diane Coleman of the disability-rights group Not Dead Yet, according to the Associated Press. ‘We want to see Jack Kevorkian imprisoned for life. It’s clear he has no respect for people with disabilities. ’† But is assisted suicide really a violation of the rights of someone who is disabled? In cases of physician-assisted suicide, the patient would not think so. A violation of the rights of the disabled would be ignoring a plea for assisted suicide, which would end pain and suffering. But perhaps the most basic argument for permissability of euthanasia, in at least extreme cases, should be in regards to everyone’s personal liberty. By that argument, people may say that everyone should have the right to do as they please when it concerns their own body. But an argument against personal liberty might state that similar arguments would allow drug use and other impermissible activities. So What is to be done? It seems that the best thing to do would be to, when physician’s can gauge someone’s mental aptitude, allow them to actively euthanize themselves, or assist him or her in doing so, if the patient is mentally competent, and wishes to end his or her life. And in the case of a family pulling the plug on someone (passive euthanasia) it should be permissible at all times if the patient had previously expressed a desire to die rather than remain on life support. Works Cited Appleton, Michael et al. At Home with Terminal Illness: A Family Guide to Hospice in the Home. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. Barnard, C Good Life, Good Death – a Doctor’s Case for Euthanasia and Suicide. Hbk 146pp Prentice-Hall 1980. Bold and provocative work by the famous heart surgeon. Battin, Margaret P. The Death Debate: Ethical Issues in Suicide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. The Law Society & the British Medical Association. Assessment of Mental Capacity – Guidance for Doctors & Lawyers. Pbk 152pp British Medical Association 1995. Randall, F, & Downie, R. Palliative Care Ethics – A Good Companion Pbk, 202pp Oxford University Press 1996.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 96

Assignment Example However, the same has left far behind the concept of in-depth learning, leaving majority of students in confused state. As rightly stated by MacGillis (2004), the marketing efforts of various vendors to sell their products for annual test preparation and evaluation are resulting in a ‘digital divide’ between poor and rich students. While billions of dollars from public fund have been invested to enhance the learning skills of all students, it is observed that needy students find it difficult to learn the advanced skills, as they are still trying to cope-up with the computer basics. Software industry leaders, having their own vested interests, highlight the advantages of such advanced learning and testing software, while they try to suppress the criticism related to same. However, major causality in such software drills remains the concepts of constructive learning. Using human brains is much more important than being entirely dependant on computers. Computer programs may provide intelligent information and solution, but using the same requires diligence, on the part of students. Solutions for ending such digital inequity cannot include discontinuing with subject software drills or other ‘compass learning’ programs, while we need to find viable resolution to this man-made divide. MacGillis (2004) has rightly given the example of schools in Howard County, where students use ‘open programs’ instead of closed ones, as offered by such software drills. The open programs help students to be creative and learn through analytical thinking. This can be one of the solutions for this problem. I do agree with the author of this article that the educational administrators may not have closely examined the issue of gender equity, while pushing for information technology-aided learning programs. The following observations need to be noted, in this direction. To help students with getting accustomed to learning through

Infernal Affairs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Infernal Affairs - Essay Example Plot Synopsis Infernal Affairs involves the story of the two main characters, Chan and Lau, who are both connected to the Hong Kong triad and who both enlisted to the cadet academy. The story opens with the introduction of Hon as the triad’s leader who sends his recruits to a police academy to serve as a mole or spy in espionage language. The main characters, Chan and Lau, join the academy, but the former was expelled despite displaying a remarkable wit in the institution. Chan permanently joined the triad, while Lau entered the police force and performed excellently. The highlight of the movie reveals when police superintendent Wong led an operation intercepting the cocaine deal of the triad. The information of the cocaine deal came from Chan, who later in the film was revealed as having communication with Superintendent Wong. Lau, on one hand, sends a message to Hon regarding the operation using Morse codes. The operation yields Hon’s determination to win over Wong. T he story goes on with Lau’s dilemma over his allegiance to both the police force and to his role as a mole of the triad. ... Everything went okay between the two, when Chan discovered that Lau is the mole he is looking for. The tragic ending came when Chan was killed by Inspector B, a mole as well who equally feeds the gang with insider information. In the end, Chan is revealed as an undercover officer while Lau gives a salute to Chan in his funeral, and vows to forget his negative past and be a good cop. Themes The theme of the movie mainly revolves around a duality of character among individual actors that are cloaked around a web of deceit, pretension and lies. As the movie progresses, the director was able to convey the central theme using many ways, such as the multiple personality of characters introduced in the novel currently written by Lau’s girlfriend and the mystery as to what the real persona of the main characters is. Furthermore, the mystery unfolds as the movie creatively and suspensely depicts how the lives of the two main characters are tangled, and how living in lies became gradual ly their reality. In the words of Ebert (par. 9), pretension and lies as themes would not be enough justifications to watch the film; rather, the mind and conscience-provoking question as to how living in a persona that is totally different from the real person could be possible. In the end, it is just a matter of reclaiming the real self by spilling the beans, telling the truth, and facing the consequences, no matter how undesirable the outcome may be. Visual Elements: Angling and Shots, Lighting, Costumes and Set Locations Infernal Affairs really deserves an A when it comes to cinematography. In fact, a lot of movie critics are all-praised when it comes to the crispness of the shots, the

Quantitative and academic skills(economy) Essay

Quantitative and academic skills(economy) - Essay Example The strength of mine includes the ability to think logically, which gets reflected in my Mathematical ability. That is, I was able to think logically from childhood because of which I was able to all the Math sums without difficulty. Even though I had good teachers to help me in Math, did all my homework and had a good friend circle to discuss about mathematical problems, I think having a logical mind helped me to shine better in Math. This ability in Math continued in the higher class as well. Apart from the ‘logical’ reason, I was interested in Math because of its image of being the Universal language. That is, there will be countries in which some languages will not be spoken, but Math will be there. For example, Zulu will not be spoken, may be in Vietnam, but simple additions to high-level calculus will be practiced or calculated there. So, my interest and strength is, my ability to do Mathematical sums with ease. Another strength of mine is my ability to motivate my friends in all the situations, with the aid of my communication skills. My communication skills has been put to effective use on several occasions, when I had been asked to make presentations to fellow students and other audience members. Weaknesses will always blocks one’s targets. The problems area, which I consider as my weakness, is my fluency in English. Being from South Korea, my English is not that perfect, because of my mother tongue influences and due to lack of English speaking environment. With the daily conversations with my family members and friends always happening in Korean, I got little opportunity to use and converse in English. This affected my speaking and writing skills in English. So, when compared to my college mates, my English is little weak. The weaknesses, I discussed in the above sections can be addressed by me, if I put in the efforts, and also due to the changed environment of being an International Student. My English

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Nursing - Assignment Example The article did bring out the role of public health department in the health of the community. Some of the activities of the activities of these nurses to the community outlined in the article include control of communicable diseases, administration of immunization, prevention of chronic diseases, family planning awareness and provision of safe food and drinking water to persons affected (Carolyn & Karen, 2011). The article clearly outlines the ability and potentials possessed by these groups of health workers. Public health nurses in the community based in creates safety networking by with other community agencies, identify risks affecting the community and intervene to provide solutions where possible, provision of health education especially to vulnerable population, and identify the problem and provide solutions before the problem advances. The author brought out challenges facing these groups of workers in the course of delivering their services, which affects effectiveness and fulfillment of their role. Lack of job security and inadequate staffing emerged as the serious problems affecting them. The author’s conclusion on the issue of public health nurses indicate that there are adequate resources and facilities are provided for effective service delivery and effective utilization of resources (Carolyn & Karen, 2011). The article managed to bring out and clearly demonstrates the striking issues affecting public health nurses and the efforts instilled to solve these issues, imposition of cost effective systems for disease prevention and health improvement of the community’s health. Having knowledge and understanding about the community is significant for health nurses, since policy makers and health planners when dealing with matters affecting the community will use the information. Community involvement by these groups of persons in meeting their welfare and ensuring that the needs of the community are met is an issue to

Law - Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law - Family Law - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss some elements of family law and its legal principles. The paper will explore the subject of marriage, separation, and divorce with the aim of advising a party to a case. Facts Samira, a ‘nineteen-year-old’ got married to Devesh when she was still sixteen years old. Devesh was then 22. Their respective parents organized the marriage, and Samira and Devesh did not meet each other until their wedding day. The marriage was against Samira’s wish as she was in love with another person, Clay, who had a different cultural background. She knew that her parents would not approve of her marriage to Clay and agreed to their planned marriage in order to avoid conflict with her family. Her decision was further influenced by the isolation that she would be subjected to by both her family and the entire society for disobeying her parents to marry Clay and not Devesh. Even though Samira decided to forget about Clay and settle in her marriage, she inform ed Devesh of her then existing relationship, a fact that affected Devesh and has been a turbulent element in their marriage. Both parties decided to work out their marriage for the sake of their families. Samira has however started seeing Clay who wants her to cohabit with him. She now believes that her family can accept Clay if they get married but fears the possibility of isolation for divorcing Devesh. Issues 1. Validity of the marriage, whether the marriage is valid or voidable 2. Termination of the marriage, whether Samira is able to terminate the marriage and by which means 3. Possible defences against termination of the marriage and whether they can succeed in the case 4. Possible remedies 5. Breach of marriage obligations prior to termination Ruling and advice 1. Validity of the marriage One of the fundamental principles in family law is the existence of a legal marriage. Based on the contractual aspects of a marriage, it can be valid, void, or voidable. This is because a ma rriage is an agreement and is regulated by laws of contract. While a divorce is dissolution of a legal marriage, an annulment refers to pronouncement of lack of a legal marriage between two parties. Annulment is a consequence of a union, in the form of a marriage that was either void or voidable. Oliphant and Steegh define a voidable marriage as one that is considerably legal until an order is issued to its nullification by a judicial process (Oliphant and Steegh, 2007, p. 48). One of the conditions that may render a marriage voidable is lack of contractual capacity of the parties (Stark, 2005, p. 17). Being a legally binding agreement, marriage is largely regulated by the law of contract. Contractual capacity of the parties is therefore an essential element in determining validity of a marriage. Either under the general principles of a contract, a party lacks contractual capacity if the party is a minor, is intoxicated or if the person is in sane. Contracts entered into by these pa rties are therefore considered as either voidable or void. Voidable agreement can however be ratified by the disadvantaged party at discretion. Samira therefore stands a high chance of annulling the marriage as was held in the case of Pazpenda De Vire v Pazpenda De Vire that presumptions of a legal marriage are rebuttable on strong grounds. Her minority age is a strong basis for rebutting existence of a legal marriage (Helewitz, 2010, p. 124- 127; Bainham, 2003, p. 165). The extent to

Corruption in correctional personnel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corruption in correctional personnel - Essay Example The legal scholars and criminologists present in other countries are usually appalled and mystified by the length of the prison sentences taking place in America. Currently there are about 2.3 million prisoners behind bars in America which is more than the number of prisoners held by any other nation(Liptak, 2008). An article published in â€Å"the guardian† in its September 2013 issue exposes that one of the American prison officers named Robert Di-Bona went to work while he was high on ecstasy.The prison officer was also accused for selling steroids to one of the former inmate. A corruption investigation was conducted against the prison officer. Beside the already mentioned allegations, the officer was also accused for providing false evidence to the commission working to eradicate corruption from government institutions. The officer also acted corruptly twice when he went to his duty, which was later found out to be the influence of ecstasy. Other than giving steroids to one of the former inmates, Robert Di-Bona was also found giving prescribed steroids to his fellow officer named Christopher Warren by the watchdog. Both Di-Bona and Warren worked for a special program at the jail. The report submitted by the commission working against corruption in jail found both the men engaged in corrupt activities and were reported using steroids on job. The officer was also accused for using his mobile phone for some kind of social purpose which is against law(Prison officer was high on ecstasy at work, corruption inquiry finds, 2013). If we look further into the matter highlighted in the article we can see that almost 1000 prison officers were found involved in corruption by the service commission. The report also suggest the fact that while most of the prison officers try to operate through honest means, there are still a number of officers that are involved in corrupt practices. There was a report broadcasted by BBC

Cross cultural management in international business Essay - 1

Cross cultural management in international business - Essay Example The management plays a critical role in entrenching diverse in the system. The MNCs are a good example of organisations that must embrace diversity in their organisational structure. These organisations employ most of their staff from a different cultural background (because the top manager may come from their headquarters) hence the need for considering diversity. For that reason, diversity is a critical component for the survival of organisations (e.g. MNCs). The essay will assess the importance of diversity in the workforce, how diversity influences the success of MNCs using the case of Carlos Ghosn of Nissan Renault and Rattan Tata of Tata Group, two phenomenon individuals who transformed their MNCs. Besides, the paper will present how the MNCs transition to embracing diversity. The markets have become so diverse that organisations must find diverse approaches to penetrating such markets and satisfy their consumer demands (Makela, et al., 2011). The MNCs are of particular interest because they have a network of branches that interacts with customers from different cultural backgrounds. The diversity of employees brings the advantage of different employees from cultures to devise appropriate ways of remaining relevant (Harter et al. 2010; PwC Saratoga, 2010). The global market has become so competitive that organisations must devise novel ways of competing to access certain markets (Makela, et al., 2011; PwC Saratoga, 2011). When organisations are making entry into a diverse cultural market, they must have a strategy of incorporating the concept of diversity to gain access and respond to the customers’ demands while remaining competitive (Caldwell, 2003; Doremus et al., 1998). Therefore, the concept of diversity seems pivotal in leveraging the competi tive advantage (Ariely et al., 2005). Organisations that have diverse workforce bring in new innovative

Recruitment and Selection Strategies Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Recruitment and Selection Strategies Recommendations Essay Recruiting for Landslide Limousine Services requires multiple strategies. Confining the company on strategy will immensely decrease the chances of finding quality, skilled applicants with the appropriate attitude towards their position. Recruiting begins with locating potential applicants and enticing them to the company. Advertisements are good, especially for a new company. Another source of applicants is the CDL classes and other limousine companies previous employees. Once a suitable selection of applicants is established the interviewing process begins. The applications are carefully reviewed, along with a background check. This is important because the employees are dealing with high society at times, and it is a commercial driving business. Employees must not have been arrested at any point for certain offenses, especially vehicle or theft related. Once a more refined selection has been made from the written applications formal interviews are next. Formal, face-to-face interviews allow the hiring manager to evaluate ones attitude. The attitude can decide if an applicant would be a good fit for the company and help to raise their image, while a bad attitude would eliminate any customer contact. According to our readings, when conducting an interview certain steps should be followed to ensure the most is gained on both sides other desk. 1) Standard questions, with flexibility is delivery (can be asked in different ways) 2) Set a time and place 3) Pay attention to applicant’s answers and body language. The reason these steps are important is because they provide a uniform method for each applicant. They provide the ability to alter the interview to each individual applicant. Another issue is to make sure not to promise the position to an individual during the interview before reviewing each of the interviews and applications. Some of the areas to pay attention to are an  applicant’s appearance, character, communication styles and habits, intellect, education level, knowledge of the position or craft, special talents, and the potential of furthering their development. The final selection of candidates consists of creating an analysis containing the information gathered during the interview, including the background check, driving records, and their application. This will allow the manager to carefully evaluate and compare each candidate, choosing the most appropriate for the positions available. Workplace Diversity The changes in societies demographics are evident as globalization becomes more common, which creates a more diverse work environment. Managing a diverse workforce will present various advantages (new perspectives on process) as well as challenges (cultural or language barriers). Some of the advantages of hiring a diverse staff are the new outlooks and perspectives of each situation. It will also help Landslide Limousine to cater to clients coming from other countries; the staff member from that area could provide tips on how to better serve the client in a manner that will not be unintentionally disrespectful. Demographics The demographic makeup of Austin Texas, according to US Census Bureau, is mostly white Americans and Latino and Hispanic. The general population, estimated in 2012, is almost 843,000 individuals with an average income of $31,000 a year, and an average of over 80,000 businesses (US Dept. of Commerce, 2014). Keeping this in mind, diversity within Landslide Limousine will not be an issue. According to the average income, holidays and special events will be the most likely first regular busy seasons. Once the reputation grows among the businesses in the area so will the company. This means that Mr. Stonefield must obey the laws pertaining to the varying cultures in the area. Some of the laws important considered for Mr. Stonefield to consider are the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits discrimination based on religion, color, sex or origin. This is law is particularly applicable to workplaces employing more than 15 people (EEOC, 2013). The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967- protects employees from discrimination on the basis  of age. Both private and public employers need to adhere to the provisions of the law which calls for eliminating discrimination of employees above the age of forty (EEOC, 2013). The Americans Act with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination in hiring competent persons with disabilities, for public and private employers (EEOC, 2013). Organizational Branding Creating an organizational brand is crucial in creating awareness of the company and recognition associated with the logo and the quality of service. The point of a brand is to create an emotional connection tying consumers to a brand preference. What this means, is that as consumers, some people prefer a specific brand, or level of brand. Organizational branding creates that perception of the company that resonates with consumers who desire only the best; this directs them to or away from your brand. This branding is first achieved by word-of-mouth from employees, friends, and family. As business gains clientele, they will begin to spread their impression of the company. The goal is to ensure that both the employees and the clients are creating the same impression. Each company has their own design to represent their company. This not only provides an image that Landslide Limousine services wants to promote, but it is a reminder of that goal and source of pride for any company owner. Branding methods are as diverse as society and are limitless; but they also set the standard by which to company wishes to operate. Landslide Limousine Services is an interesting name which should make picking a brand less difficult. The more interesting, with a play on words or an image depicting a desired outcome would be really good choices. Interviewing After applicants have submitted his or her application and each application, is carefully reviewed a formal interview must follows. Conducting formal interviews are important because it will assist the hiring manager and the applicant the opportunity to evaluate the positions working conditions. According to, the text interviews are known as scheduled communication. When conducting the proper interview it is important to follow the following steps (Cascio, 2013). Have a comprehensive list of questions to ask applicant in a flexible method. Prepare for the interview and select a  designated time in a quiet location. Pay close attention to applicants and listen to his or he answers with an opened mind. It is important to avoid interruptions and answering the phone when conducting a formal interview. It is also important to avoid making promises to potential applicants including promising applicants that someone will contact them with the results. If promised it is proper to do so to avoid misrepresenting or misleading the applicant. In addition to conducting a proper interview it is necessary to evaluate the following, Appearance Character Communication Intellect Education Knowledge Talents Potential for furthering his or her development and determination References: Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits (9th ed.) Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin EEOC, (2013). Discrimination by Type. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/index.cfm US Department of Commerce, (7th January, 2014). State and country quick facts; Austin (city), Texas. US Department of Commerce – Census. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/4805000.html

Government by the People Essay Example for Free

Government by the People Essay The population growth has caused concern for many Americans because of the terms of numbers and poverty that comes with this growth. There is a pattern showing of wealth transferring from poorer nations to the richer nations of the globe and the information technology revolution is speeding this cycle up. With population growth reaching new heights new concerns for increasing urban growth has emerged. Planning for transportation, environment protection, or management of water and other resources are needed. Unregulated markets forces will hurt individuals and â€Å"politics as usual† will not mandate viable growth patterns or protect the air, water and natural beauty of our country. Planning and growth depends on public support and market forces. In order for plans to be effective they must show he same interests and values of major groups within the community. Even with the fear of the government, something that is generally accepted hampers a lot of effective planning. But it is clear that for any planning to work there must a consensus between â€Å"planners, community leaders, and the popularly elected officials who must bear the responsibility for implementing the plans† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason Cronin, 2006, p. 649). This planning for our country, communities and societies along with its citizens has given the United States the status of world power. But controversy has erupted from the resent war with Iraq that questions our authority. I’ve heard many individual claims that America is expanding its empire, rather than fighting for freedom. Our rise to a world power has come because of our industry, colleges and universities, multiple government institutions, military strengths. This along with our innovations in science, technology and medicine catapulted us into our status. Development of such things as television and jet airliners gave America the edge it needed to jump to the top of the ladder. They have also helped to spread our ideologies of democracy and westernization. It has created globalization and keeps it going. Our commerce and business growth has only helped with this globalization. Companies, such as IBM and General Motors have given the national government firm grounds in business. Our national government promotes â€Å"a prosperous economy through its monetary and fiscal policies† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason, Cronin, 2006, p. 437). The Department of Commerce has been at the center of the government’s efforts to promote economic growth and encourage businesses to do research and new development. These companies are at the heart of this economic growth plan. But more recently new development has been needed to keep these companies afloat as technology and innovation continues to climb new heights. Turning outdated companies into the companies of the future. The introduction of the electronic superhighway mandates companies to use e-commerce and if they can’t they might get left behind. The internet has given us a faster way for just about everything. It has even influenced society, culture and lifestyles. The Progressive Era began in United States during the mid 1890’s and continued through World War I. It was a time when individuals were beginning to have concerns with the state of society. It also brought about a belief in human compassion and how new innovations along with scientific investigation could somehow show what the problem was with ways of solving the problems. This reformation shows even in today’s time. Our social construct has great bearing on our national government. Take for example the debate on same-sex marriages. Our government has made laws that pertain to this issue, but some in society believe government has gone too far. But the core issue at stake, that I believe, has something to do with insurance. I don’t believe that our national government is trying to establish social norms, but rather maintain certain expectations of commerce and business. Reference: Magleby, D. B. , O’Brien, D. , Light, P. , Peltason, J. W. , Cronin, T. E. (2006). Government by the People: National, State, and Local 21st. Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

The Introduction To Ecommerce Information Technology Essay

The Introduction To Ecommerce Information Technology Essay In the 19th century commerce was affected by the development of rail system which reduced the cost of shipping and let seller sell his products around the country rather than in one region and helped the country to develop a national system of trade. It also led the creation of national daily newspaper, weekend holidays and improved the nations health by making perishable goods such as fresh fish and fruits more widely available. The process repeated this time electronic commerce affected the commerce by cutting the cost of transportation of information, and by letting the seller to introduce his products worldwide rather than nationwide by the later part of Twentieth century  [1]  . In the early 60s and 70s when mankind was trying to find and develop fast means to travel and communication, the business developers introduced Electronic commerce (E-com) for the business efficacy. However, the use was limited to only business to business (B2B) transitions which were Electronic data interchange( EDI) and Electronic funds transfer (EFT). By late 1991 when internet became widely available for commercial purposes, consumers also realized the usefulness of E-commerce and so started taking advantages of E-commerce. As a result, today thousands of businesses have been taken to websites. E-commerce is called as New Economy for modern world which is created by using digital technology changing our societies drastically in terms of business transactions, services, transfer of information and online shopping. As Kevin Kelly describes  [2]  Its global; it favors intangible things- ideas, information, and relationships. And it is intensely interlinked. These attributes produce a new type of marketplaces and society, one that is rooted in ubiquitous electronic networks  [3]   If simply defined, E-commerce is about exchange of digitized information between parties  [4]  which can be ordering of goods and services as well the control of their flow, making contracts and sharing information instantaneously from one part of the world to another and this can be held between consumer to consumer, business to consumer and business to business. These days people relate internet with e-commerce which is a wrong perception It is the most popularly used means these days but according to the World Trade Organization,  [5]  E-commerce can be used by using telephone, the fax, the television, electronic payment and money transfer system, Data interchange and the internet.  [6]   Considering the above statement, any transaction, any order of goods and requesting of services by using any of the above six instruments falls under the means of E-commerce. There is no precise definition of e-commerce as it changes according to its evolving role. At the beginning of the new millennium in 2002, another definition came which defined it as any business transaction concerning goods and services, where participants are not in same physical location and communicate though electronic means  [7]   Hence these days, E-Commerce Is a business term used for selling and buying goods and services over internet and other electronic means between B2B, B2C and C2C. Beneficiaries Of E-commerce There are three classes of society of those who are taking benefits as doing their business electronically (i) Business to Business (B2B), (ii) Business to Consumer (B2C), and (iii) Consumer to consumer (C2C). Business to Business . B2B electronic commerce over internet is increasingly becoming the popular choice of communication for the business as its instantaneous.  [8]   B2B e-commerce is whereby both parties conduct transactions in the course of business, also known as paperless trading especially in the US  [9]  . For instance suppose a motor manufacturer needs to purchase parts from supplier, this can be done either via e-mail or by EDI (Electronic Data Interchange system). Business to Consumer This is the type of dealing in which one party is doing their business by selling goods over website or by advertisement where they are directly dealing with consumers, such as sales person dealing with customer in high street, example of this kind of dealings are shopping on website such as www.amazon.co.uk or www.sony.co.uk. Consumer to Consumer In this kind of dealing both parties are natural persons and do not operate any business. The good example of C2C is consumer selling goods to another consumer through a website or some consumer advertising over a website for example www.ebay.co.uk. Scope of Law There is no single or specific law for e-commerce as Kevin Kelly describes  [10]  as its of global nature, electronic commerce has propensity to break the national barriers more easily rather than traditional cross-border trade.  [11]   Hence the user can either use a website for making a purchase or e-mail an offer from any jurisdiction and acceptance can take place from other jurisdiction due to this global nature that website might be subject to law of that country.  [12]   The issue of Electronic contracts was 1st considered at the international level in 1996 by United Nation Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) by introducing the Model law on Electronic Commerce and the Model law on Electronic Signature. In United Kingdom Electronic Commerce Act 2000, Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 was introduced to provide basic legal frame work for electronic commerce and to deal with its problems in a country, and Electronic Signature Regulation 2002. The enactment of Acts was the result of European Union Directive 2000/31/EC, which was introduced to provide fundamental structure for electronic commerce in national markets, to remove cross-border barriers for online services within the member states, and to provide legal certainty to the services. Felling the heat of Electronic Commerce problems, United States of America also enacted the legislations specifically dealing with Electronic commerce. These were: (i) Uniform Electronic Transaction Act 1999 (UETA), (ii) Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act Amended 2000,2000(UCITA) and Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act 2000.  [13]   Same way different Asian countries also introduced special legislation to cope with E-commerce. Examples are Singapores Electronic Transaction Act 1998, Indias Information Technology Act 2000, Hong Kong Electronic Transactions ordinance 2000, Philippines Electronic Commerce Act 2000  [14]  and Electronic  Transactions Ordinance 2002. Advantages of Electronic Commerce: With Respect to Virtual Shop: As discussed above, e-commerce affected the commerce by reducing the cost of trade, especially in selling and buying. In 1995 Bill Gates stated in his book regarding shopping that; The net will carry us into a new world of low-friction, low -overhead capitalism, in which market information will be plentiful and transaction cost low it will be a shoppers heaven  [15]   Bill Gates words have already been proved. Shopping over internet has become the new and the most popular market for the customers. Due to low cost, sellers dont have to buy or rent the costly articles from a shop in high street. Instead they just need to get space over internet at a very low price as compared to high street shops. Furthermore, there isnt any need to hire employees as a seller himself can update or monitor the website. Lastly, he doesnt have to pay any utilities. All these advantages raise the margin of profit with an added benefit which is that the seller can attract customers by offering his product at a lesser price than high street shop price. Another advantage of a Virtual shop is that it is open for business 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Customers can even shop on the day of Christmas or any other holiday. Also, a virtual shop can cater not only to local customers but to anyone in the world who has an internet connection. Virtual shop is as profitable for the seller as it is for the buyer. When you shop online you save time, petrol and you can shop at any time even after business hours. With respect to E-mail: 20th March 2002 was the land mark day in the history of E-mail and postal mail in United Kingdom. By then it was proved that majority of people trust and are interested in e-mail rather than traditional postal mail.  [16]   The reasons are that it is cheap, fast and accurate. The biggest advantage is that it is private as only that person who knows the password can access it. Another great thing is that the same message can be sent to many recipients at the time within the same duration.

Arnolds Dover Beach and Wordsworths Tintern Abbey Essay example -- p

A reflection on Arnold's "Dover Beach" and Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" Poetry that establishes its raison d'à ªtre as linguistic play is, for Wordsworth, "a matter of amusement and idle pleasure†¦as if it were a thing as indifferent as a taste for rope-dancing, or frontiniac or sherry" (Preface 250). Wordsworth condemns poets whose efforts contribute mainly in celebrating formal experimentation; he discriminates against poetry that has recourse to what he calls a "superlatively contemptible" (265) language. Wordsworth advises his readership to mistrust what he calls the "infinite caprices" (261) of poetic composition, and he claims that such artifice undermines what he holds as poetry's true task. He is skeptical of poets who "break in upon the sanctity of truth of [their] pictures by transitory and accidental ornaments, and endeavor to excite admiration of [themselves] by arts" (260). Instead of celebrating metrical aesthetics as a pursuit valuable in its own right, Wordsworth regrets verse that compromises content for the whimsical satisfaction of effect and immediacy of impression. To safeguard poetry from such intransigence, then, Wordsworth proposes a poetry that is more transcendental or conceptual. He seems to conjoin poetry and philosophy with a greater end in view, no doubt one receptive of his own endeavor in mapping out a study of his introspective self: Aristotle, I have been told, hath said that poetry is the most philosophic of all writing. It is so. Its object is truth, not individual and local, but general and operative; not standing upon external testimony, which gives strength and divinity to the tribunal to which it appeals, and receives them from the same tribunal. (Preface 258) This statement ill... ...ed Arnold, Matthew. "Dover Beach." The Poetical Works of Matthew Arnold. Ed. C. B. Tinker and H. F. Lowry. Oxford University Press, 1950. 210-212. Arnold, Matthew. "Wordsworth." Essays in Criticism: second series. Ed. S. R. Littlewood. London: Macmillan, 1951. 73-96. McEathron, Scott. "Wordsworth and Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads." A Companion to Romanticism. Ed. Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. 144-156. Morgan, Thaà ¯s. "Rereading Nature: Wordsworth between Swinburne and Arnold." Victorian Poetry 24:4 (1986 Winter): 427-439. Trickett, Rachael. "Wordsworth and Arnold." The Wordsworth Circle 20:1 (1989 Winter): 50-56. Wordsworth, William. "Tintern Abbey." Romanticism, 1st ed. Ed. Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994. 240-244. Wordsworth, William. 1802 Preface to the Lyrical Ballads. Romanticism, 1st ed. Ed. Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994. 250-269.

The DEA :: essays research papers

On our planet, phenomena’s occur occasionally in nature. Tornadoes, earthquakes, and flashfloods are all types of phenomena’s that could occur. Most of these mysterious events are small and go unnoticed; however, on a rare occasion these sorts of event can be horrendous. One such occasion occurred back around 4,000 BC (Werner Keller, 48). As the story goes, God’s population was growing rapidly on earth. At this point, he had been growing bored with the same people on earth so he made sure no man would live past the age of 120. Given this time, the people of earth started to take advantage of the human race; these acts of selfishness disgusted God. He decided to destroy everything on earth. A man by the name of Noah had lived his life by God’s nature, which eventually led to a close relationship between the two. God had told Noah to build a boat with exact measurements. God had instructed Noah to put two of every kind of animal into the boat; one had to be male and the other female. Then God told Noah to get into the boat with his family, their families, and the animals. Then for forty days and forty nights the clouds seemed to have poured endless amounts of water onto the earth (Genesis 6:1-9). Floods rushed through the landscape, destroying everything in its path. The waters were higher than the tallest mountains, standing above the highest peaks. All living things on earth had died. The water covered the earth at this level for five months (Paul S. Taylor, 1). In time the water began to dry up. Eventually Noah was able to leave the ship and release all he had brought with him. From this point, evolution occurs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story of the great flood has been debated many times as far as its historical accuracy. Many experts seem to think that such an event would be unnatural while others believe that this great worldwide flood actually did occur. In today’s society, more people are beginning to question catastrophic events that occur in nature. This great flood seems to be a very common example of this. This research paper will investigate the Holy Bible’s reliability as scientific and historical literature by focusing on its recording of the great flood. Many people are interested in these world phenomena’s; this paper will aim to end some of the controversy about this particular phenomenon.

Haiku master Essay -- essays papers

Haiku master Matsuo Basho radically redefined the three-line, 17-syllable haiku poetic form from an entertaining pastime in 16th-century Japan to a major literary genre in the 17th century. An early Basho haiku provides an example of his meticulous and sensitive approach in selecting and arranging words and images to produce highly evocative allusions: On a leafless bough In the gathering autumn dusk: A solitary crow! Haiku emanates from the 31 syllable, five-line "tanka" (short poem) which was originally arranged in two parts, an opening triplet (hokku) and a couplet. The Haiku form was popularized during the Heian period (794-1185). At that time, it was customary for the educated elite of Japan to engage in writing, singing, and reciting poetry as forms of cultural entertainment. In addition, social customs of the day demanded that the aristocracy of the refined court society display both a sensitivity to nature in their poetic expression and an ability to discuss the poetic classics of Japanese and Chinese literature. Tanka, then, could express a wealth ...

Apple Case Study

Please divide Apple's history into periods and trace the changes in business models that took place over these periods. Apple history is explained in the case history from 1972 – 2006. Apples history is described below, reflecting on the changes In Business Model (how the company generated revenue). The Beginning years, 1976 – 1 985: Apple was founded In 1976 and they built a computer circuit board named the Apple l. Within span of 4 years they went to PIP with the help of Venture capitalist Markup, Jar. Its original business model was based on selling a computer that could e used straight out of the box with a closed platform.In 1981 IBM introduced a Microsoft's DOS operating system and it's an open system and easily cloned, whilst a lack of compatible software on Macintosh (Mac) made net income fall 17%. Steve Jobs was removed from his operational role by the board. Jobs left Apple to find a new company NeXT. The sculls years, 1985-1993: In 1985 John Sculls was appoin ted as CEO. Sculls was an operations and marketing expert from Pepsi. Scull's strategy was focused on taking Apple into the corporate world, which he did successfully, making Apple a well-known brand name.During the Sculls years Apple was able to monopolize on the â€Å"love affair† for Macs by selling at a premium. In 1990 Sculls changed the business model to sell their computers at lower prices to get more market share, while also delivering new ‘hit products' every 6-12 months. Apple embarked on a Joint venture with MOM to create a new operating model, multimedia applications, etc. Sculls also reduced headcount by 10% and moved much of the manufacturing to contractors. Sculls also made himself Technology officer despite having no skills In this area.He was then relinquished of his duties In 1993. The spindled years, 1993 – 1995: Spindled was an engineer and had successfully headed Apple Europe and changed the business model once more to focus on education and publishing. He killed the plan to put the SO on Intel and instead he would license other companies to produce MAC clones. He focused on international growth I. E china. Spindlier business model also focused on the fact that the new operating model would save the company. Like Sculls, Spindled had to slash costs but Apple still had problems.In first quarter of 1996, apple reported $69 million in losses and more layoffs and Spindled was replaced. Amelia years, 1996 – 19971 ND a high pricing / differentiation strategy and slash payroll. Amelia wanted to turn apple back to its premium price differentiation strategy. He cancelled the next generation Mac SO, which had already cost $mom in R&D. Instead apple would acquire Next along with Steve Jobs. Amelia brought NeXT and brought Jobs as an advisor. Apple still suffered financially and Amelia was forced out. Steve Jobs became the temporary CEO. 997- Steve Jobs era: Steve Jobs re-joined the company in 1996 after Apple acquired NeXT. He made several drastic changes; investment into Apple, a commitment to develop core reduces, ended the Mac licensing program while buying the assets of the leading clone maker, consolidated the product ranges, and launched the Apple website to sell products directly. Jobs' business model turned the company around. He agreed that Microsoft would invest in core products for MAC ii office. Also he rationalized product range from 15 to 3, research projects by 70% and reduced staffing and outsourcing.Comment on what you learn about business model and business model change from this case. When evaluating Apple's business model, it's useful to think in terms of the pre-1996 era and the post-1996 era. Apple has always been and continues to be a manufacturer of computers and electronics with a focus on complete hardware and software integration. Prior to 1996, the company focused almost exclusively on personal computers in the Macintosh line, with the occasional foray into innovative produ cts like the Newton.When Steve Jobs re-joined the company in 1996, that mission evolved beyond personal computing into products like the pod, phone, and pad. Apple is positioned well for the future, and it's not a company that's willing to settle for current success. Unafraid of centralization, the company continues to churn out Phones that make the pod look like a hobby, as well as the pad Mini that unashamedly steals market share from its big brother. Notoriously secret, the company reveals little about the product pipeline, but it's believed that Steve Jobs has left a product roadman for more than a decade.How do other theories of strategy such as capability theory fit with this story? Apple was unable to maintain any strategy over this period since every CEO inconsistently changed the business model and strategy of Apple. Apple's most important resources and capabilities are Steve Jobs, and the integrated system of hardware and software hat the firm has developed and successfull y marketed to derive value. Steve brought Apple back to tremendous success following a decline in relevance and heads the continued creation of billions of dollars of value.While Apple's designers, programmers, and engineers each represent key resources, the ability of the firm to exploit their abilities to create their entire software/hardware ecosystem is the firm's Apple Stores – Retail Locations The introduction of Apple stores has provided the company with an important physical presence to act as both a sales location and an advertisement. Apple tops any retailers in in-store sales, generating $4,032 per retail square foot per year, beating other retailers like Tiffany & Co. At $2,666 and Best Buy at only $930.Relationship with Moms Apple has outsourced all of its manufacturing processes to MEMO partners in China, like Foxing and Hon.. Ha Precision Industry while focusing on design internally. The relationships between Apple and their MEMO partners are very close to prov ide Apple with excellent service and high quality products. Industrial Design Capability Apple's incredible industrial design capability is a function of their innovative design names, led by Jonathan Eve, senior vice president of industrial design, and the firm's parameterization of design and outsourced production.Talented Software Development Teams Apple's software developers are carefully selected and talented programmers. They've produced industry award winning software and the highly regarded iterations of Macintosh SOX operating system. Tailored Hardware/Software Systems One of Apple's most important capabilities is their ability to develop and build highly integrative systems with software designed specifically for the hardware it runs on. Apple Case Study A. The PC industry is much older than the MP3 player industry. As it is an older market, its structure is also more consolidated with only a few builders accounting for the majority of the market. On the other hand, the first MP3 players only surfaced less than ten years ago. While Apple’s Ipod may dominate the market, there are much more MP3 player manufacturers compared to PC manufacturers.Another difference between the two industries is that PCs tend to be commodity products as opposed to MP3 players which are seen as lifestyle or luxury products. This means that PCs for the most part are considered disposable items, especially to bulk buyers like firms or educational institutions. As such, value for money is a premium for PC manufacturers and the trend for the industry is to have better products per new generation at a lower price.Compare this to MP3 players which are for the most part used for personal entertainment. The popularity of the Ipod has cemented the MP3 player as a fashion accessory in addition to a consumer electronics product. Consumers also tend to be more concerned with the form of their MP3 players as opposed to the form of their PCs.Both industries are also experiencing the trend of convergence with PCs having more and more features oriented towards entertainment and MP3 players having more features geared for productivity. Additionally, the cellphone is also encroaching on both products. Smartphones are slowly gaining more PDA and laptop like features. These same devices are also starting to gain more and more entertainment features with newer models coming equipped with the ability to snap pictures and play music.B. Apple products have always been known for its innovation, ease of use and high price. One could say that while PCs in general are a commodity product, Apple computers are marketed like luxury items. Apple computers look better than the competition, are easier to use than the competition, and cost more than the competit ion. As opposed to its PC competitors who used different strategies to be able to offer the lowest prices possible, Apple’s offerings have always been about function and form first, cost second.Apple’s initial foray into the MP3 market touted ease of use as its main strategy. The Ipod featured a thumbwheel that simplified the access of thousands of songs stored in the player. The Ipod’s ease of use was essential to its adoption by newcomers who were unfamiliar to MP3. Secondly, ITunes was very innovative in the way that it simplified the process of legally obtaining music over the internet.Apple made possible a new distribution method for music through ITunes wherein the customer can access exactly the tracks he wants, anywhere in the world and the music is delivered directly to him. Lastly, the success of the Ipod has allowed Apple to leverage its brand strength as a key strategy for the Ipod. Apple successfully marketed the Ipod as a lifestyle accessory and a successful marketing campaign has made an Ipod (not an MP3 player, an Ipod) a must have.C. One key strength for Apple has been its brand. Successful products in the past have infused the Apple Brand with the values of ease of use, innovation and style. This is best seen through the cult of Apple fanaticism with Apple devotees preaching the values of Apple products to their peers. Like whole foods, the Apple brand has formed its own following that serves to promote the values of Apple products.While marketing strength may be a great strength of Apple, their culture of innovation allows them to maintain a lead over their competitors in terms of ease of use and new features. The key to Apple’s innovation is their focus on satisfying the needs and uses of the customer as opposed to simply cramming their products full of gadgetry.This is best seen during the years before Apple switched to Intel processors. While relegated to using the antiquated PowerPC processor from Motorola, Ap ple was able to maintain interest in their computers by innovating on the software side, coming out with the much acclaimed OS X operating system and its succeeding incarnations.Apple PCs have also been known to be better in design related applications. Macintosh computers are seen by many to be better suited for creative applications such as image processing, music creation and video editing. Apple itself has invested heavily in these areas with their free, pre-installed versions of these types of programs being far better than the offerings of their competitors.Lastly, Apple’s policy of being tight with its technology has allowed it to keep a high level of control over products associated with Apple products. Unlike other PC manufacturers whose technology is available to all OEMs, Apple technology is shut out to third party manufacturers. For the most part, Apple controls who makes Apple peripherals.While this limits the expansion of Apple and keeps the cost of its peripher als high, it has allowed Apple to maintain a high level of quality for its peripherals and its own products as their computers are less likely to crash due to shoddy third party products.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 5

The boy's light hair was longish, falling over his forehead in disarray. He had a nice face, serious, but with an unexpected dimple in his chin that gave him a slightly mischievous look. His body was nicely muscled but compact; standing, Jez knew, he'd be no taller than she. There was a large bump coming up on his forehead, just under the falling hair. The ghoul had probably slammed him against something. Jez jumped up and got a blue plastic cup full of water from her nightstand. She grabbed a clean T-shirt from the floor and dipped it into the water, then she gently brushed back the hair from the boy's forehead. It was silky under her fingers. Even softer than she would have thought. Jez kept her face expressionless and began to wipe his face with the damp cloth. He didn't stir. Jez's heart, which was already thumping distinctly, speeded up. She took a deep breath and kept wiping. Finally, although it probably didn't have anything to do with the water, the boy's dark eyelashes moved. He coughed, breathed, blinked, and looked at her. Relief spread through Jez. â€Å"Don't try to sit up yet.† â€Å"That's what they all say,† he agreed, and sat up. He put a hand to his head and groaned. Jez steadied him. â€Å"I'm fine,† he said. â€Å"Just tell the room to stop moving.† He looked around the room, bunked again and suddenly seemed to focus. He grabbed her arm, his eyes wide. â€Å"Something followed me-â€Å" â€Å"A ghoul. It's dead.† He let out his breath. Then he smiled wryly. â€Å"You saved my life.† â€Å"And I don't even charge,† Jez said, embarrassed. â€Å"No, I mean it.† His smile faded and he looked straight at her. â€Å"Thank you.† Jez could feel heat trying to rise to her face, and she had a hard time holding his gaze. His eyes were gray and so intense-fathomless. Her skin was tingling. She looked away and said evenly, â€Å"We should get you to a hospital. You might have a concussion.† â€Å"No. I'm okay. Let me just see if I can stand up.† When she opened her mouth to protest, he added, â€Å"Jez, you don't know why I'm here. It can't wait.† He was right; Jez had been so intent on getting him conscious that she hadn't even wondered what he was doing here. She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. She helped him up, and let go of his arm when she saw he could stand without falling over. â€Å"See, I'm fine.† He took a few steps, then made a circuit of the room, loosening his muscles. Jez watched him narrowly, ready to grab him if he fell. But he walked steadily except for a slight limp. And that wasn't from his encounter with the ghoul tonight, Jez knew. He'd had the limp from childhood, from when the werewolves took his family. How he'd been able to get over that and join Circle Daybreak, Jez would never know. He'd lost his parents almost as young as she had. He'd lost his two sisters and his brother, too. His entire family had been on a camping trip atLake Tahoe , when in the middle of the night they'd been attacked by a pack of werewolves. Renegade ‘wolves, hunting illegally because Night World law wouldn't let them kill as often as they liked. Just like Jez's old gang. The ‘wolves had ripped through theDavis family's tents and killed the humans, one, two, three. Easy as that. The only one they left alive was seven-year-old Hugh, because he was too little to have much meat on his body. They had just settled down to eat the hearts and livers of their victims, when suddenly the one too little to be worth eating was dashing at them with a homemade torch constructed of kerosene-soaked underwear wrapped around a stick. He was also waving a silver cross on a chain the werewolves had torn from his sister's neck. Two things werewolves don't like: silver and fire. The little boy was attacking with both. The ‘wolves decided to kill him. Slowly. They almost did it. They managed to chew one of his legs almost off before a park ranger arrived, attracted by the spreading fire from the dropped torch. The ranger had a gun, and the fire was getting out of control. The ‘wolves left. Hugh almost died of blood loss on the way to the hospital. But he was a tough kid. And a very smart one. He didn't even try to explain to anybody what he'd been doing with the silver necklace. He knew they would never believe him if he said he'd suddenly remembered a bunch of past lives, including one where he'd seen a werewolf killed. Hugh Davis was an Old Soul. And a wakened Old Soul, which was even more rare. It scared Jez a little. He was human and she was from the Night World, but she didn't pretend to understand the magic that brought some humans back again and again, reincarnating them in new bodies. Letting them remember all their past lifetimes, making them smarter and more clearheaded every time they were born. In Hugh's case, also gentler every time. In spite of the attack on his family, when he got out of the hospital the first thing he did was try to find some Night People. He knew they weren't all bad. He knew some of them would help him stop the werewolves from hurting anyone else. Fortunately, the first people he found were from Circle Daybreak. Circles were witch organizations, but Circle Daybreak was for humans and vampires and shapeshifters and werewolves, too. It was an underground society, as secret within the Night World as the Night World was secret within the human world. It went against the most basic tenets of Night World law: that humans were not to be told about the Night World, and that Night People shouldn't fall in love with humans. Circle Daybreak was fighting to unite everybody, to stop the killings, and to bring peace between the races. Jez wished them luck. She suddenly realized that Hugh had stopped walking and was looking at her. She blinked and focused, furious with herself for her slip in concentration. As a huntress-of vampires or anything else-you stayed alert all the time, or you were dead. â€Å"You were miles away,† Hugh said softly. His gray eyes were calm but intense as always. That look Old Souls get when they're reading you, Jez thought. She said, â€Å"Sorry. Um, do you want some ice for that bump?† â€Å"No, I like it. I'm thinking of getting one on the other side, to match.† He sat on the bed, serious again. â€Å"Really, I've got some stuff to explain to you, and it's going to take a while.† Jez didn't sit. â€Å"Hugh, I think you need it. And I need to take a shower or my aunt will get suspicious about what I'm doing in here for so long. Besides, the smell is driving me crazy.† Although she couldn't use her vampire powers without bringing on the bloodlust, her senses were still much more acute than a human's. â€Å"Eau de Ghoul? And I was just starting to enjoy it.† Hugh nodded at her, switching from gentle humor to gentle gravity as always. â€Å"You need to do what will keep your cover here. I shouldn't be so impatient.† Jez took the fastest shower of her life, then dressed in clean clothes she'd brought to the bathroom. As she returned carrying a glassful of ice from the kitchen and a washcloth, she saw that Claire's bedroom door was ajar and Claire was watching her narrowly. Jez raised the glass in a mock toast, and slipped into her own bedroom. â€Å"Here.† She made an ice pack and handed it to Hugh. He accepted it docilely. â€Å"Now, what is it that's so urgent? And how come you're so popular with ghouls all of a sudden?† Instead of answering, Hugh looked into a middle distance. He was bracing himself for something. Finally he lowered the ice pack and looked straight at her. â€Å"You know I care about you. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. And if anything happened because of me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. Jez told her heart to get down where it belonged. It was pounding in her throat, choking her. She kept her voice flat as she said, â€Å"Thanks.† Something like hurt flashed in his eyes and was gone instantly. â€Å"You don't think I mean it.† Jez still spoke flatly, in a clipped, hurried voice. She wasn't good at talking about emotional stuff. â€Å"Hugh, look. You were my first human friend. When I came to live here, nobody at Circle Daybreak would have anything to do with me. I don't blame them-not after the things my gang did to humans. But it was hard because they wouldn't even talk to me, much less trust me, and they wouldn't believe I wanted to help them. And then you showed up that day after school. And you did talk to me-â€Å" â€Å"And I did trust you,† Hugh said. â€Å"And I still do.† He looked distant again. â€Å"I thought you were the saddest person I'd ever seen, and the most beautiful-and the bravest. I knew you wouldn't betray Circle Daybreak.† And that's why I love you, Jez thought before she could stop herself. It was easier to live with if she didn't put it into words. Because it was hopeless, of course. You couldn't hang on to an Old Soul. Nobody could-not unless they were one of those tiny fraction of people who were soulmates. Wakened Old Souls were too†¦ old. They knew too much, had seen too much to get attached to any one person. Much less a person who was tainted with vampire blood. So all she said was â€Å"I know. That's why I work with Circle Daybreak. Because you convinced them I wasn't some kind of spy for the Night World. I owe you, Hugh. And-I believe you care about me.† Because you care about everybody, she added silently. Hugh nodded, but he didn't look any happier. â€Å"It's about something dangerous. Something I don't want to ask you to do.† He dug into his jeans pocket and came up with a thick packet of what looked like folded newspaper articles. He held it out to her. Jez took it, frowned, then paged through the first few articles. Headlines jumped out at her. â€Å"‘Four-year old dies in coyote attack.' ‘Record heatwave in Midwest; hundreds hospitalized.' ‘Mother confesses: I killed my babies.' ‘Mystery virus erupts in eastern U.S.: Scientists baffled.'† There were lots more, but she didn't look at them. She looked at Hugh, her eyebrows drawn together. â€Å"Thanks for sharing this. Am I supposed to fight the coyote or the virus?† His lips smiled, but his eyes were bottomless and frighteningly sad. â€Å"Nobody can fight what's happening-at least not in the ordinary way. And all that's just the beginning.† â€Å"Of what?† She loved Hugh, but sometimes she wanted to strangle him. Old Souls loved being mysterious. â€Å"Have you noticed the weather lately? It's either floods or droughts. Record cold days in winter, record heat in the summer. Record number of hurricanes and tornadoes. Record snowfall and hail. It just gets weirder and weirder every year.† â€Å"Well-sure.† Jez shrugged. â€Å"They talk about it on TV all the time. But it doesn't mean any-â€Å" â€Å"And the earth's being disturbed, too. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Last year four dormant volcanoes erupted and there were dozens of major quakes.† Jez narrowed her eyes. â€Å"Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And there's another weird thing, even though it's not as obvious. You have to kind of dig a little to get to the statistics. There's been an increase in animal attacks all over the world. All kinds of animals.† He tapped the pile of newspaper articles. â€Å"This coyote attack-a couple of years ago you never heard about coyotes killing kids. Just like you never heard of mountain lions attacking adults. But now it's happening, and it's happening everywhere.† Prickles of unease were going up Jez's arms. It was true, what Hugh was saying. Not that she'd paid much attention to the human news when she was a vampire-but it did seem as if animal attacks were getting more frequent. â€Å"A bunch of elephants stomped their trainers last year,† she said slowly. â€Å"Dog attacks are up four hundred percent,† Hugh said. â€Å"According to the California state police. In New Mexico there's an epidemic of rabid bats. In Florida they've had seven tourists killed by alligators since last January-and believe me, that information was hard to find. Nobody wanted to report it† â€Å"I bet.† â€Å"Then there are the insects. We're seeing more and more people get attacked by them. Killer bees. Fire ants. Tiger mosquitoes-and, no, I'm not joking. They're for real, and they carry dengue fever, a really nasty disease.† â€Å"Hugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Which brings me to diseases. You have to have noticed that. There are new diseases popping up all over. Ebola. Mad cow disease. That flesh-eating bacteria. Hanta viruses. Lassa. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. You bleed from your ears and nose and mouth and into the whites of your eyes-â€Å" Jez opened her mouth to say â€Å"Hugh† again, but he was racing on, his chest rising and falling quickly, his gray eyes almost feverish. â€Å"And they're resistant to antibiotics the same way that the insects are resistant to pesticides. They're all mutating. Changing. Getting stronger and more deadly. And-â€Å" â€Å"Hugh.† She got it in while he took a breath. â€Å"-there's a hole in the ozone.† He looked at her. â€Å"What?† â€Å"What does it all mean?† It means that things are changing. Spiraling out of control. Heading for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped and looked at her. â€Å"Jez, it's not those things themselves that are the problem. It's what's behind them.† â€Å"And what is behind them?† Hugh said simply, â€Å"The Old Powers are rising.† Chills swept over Jez. The Old Powers. The Ancient Magic that had controlled the universe in the old days of the Night World. No one could see or know the Old Powers; they were forces of nature, not people. And they had been sleeping like giant dragons for thousands of years ever since humans had gained control of the world. If they were waking up again now†¦ If magic was coming back again, everything would change. â€Å"It shows in different weird ways,† Hugh went on. â€Å"Night People are getting more powerful. Lots of them have noticed it. And they say the soulmate principle is back.† The soulmate principle. The idea that for every person there was one destined soulmate, one true love, and that the two souls were bound for eternity. Jez lifted her shoulders and dropped them without meeting Hugh's eyes. â€Å"Yeah, I heard. Don't believe it, though.† â€Å"I've seen it,† Hugh said, and for a moment Jez's heart stopped. Then it started again as he continued, â€Å"In other people, I mean. I've seen people our age who found their soulmate, and it's really true; you can see it in their eyes. The Old Powers really are rising, Jez†¦ for good and for evil. That's what's behind all these other changes.† Jez sat very still. â€Å"And so what happens if they keep rising?† â€Å"What happens is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hugh paused and then looked at her. â€Å"It means a time of darkness is coming,† he said simply. â€Å"A time-?† â€Å"Of serious darkness. The worst. We're talking the end of the world, here.† Jez could feel gooseflesh on the back of her neck, where her wet hair touched her skin. She might have been tempted to laugh if it were anybody else telling her this. But it was Hugh, and he wasn't joking. She had no desire to laugh. â€Å"But then it's all over,† she said. â€Å"There's nothing we can do. How can anybody stop the end of the world?† â€Å"Well.† He ran a quick hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead. â€Å"That's why I'm here. Because I'm hoping you can.†

Iago’s soliloquy at the end of Act 1 Essay

â€Å"Iago’s soliloquy at the end of Act 1; what does his language tell us about his character and motivation? How does it compare with his language in the rest of the act†? Iago seems to be presented as a Machiavellian villain; he is cunning and always seems to know what’s going to happen. In Iago’s soliloquy at the end of Act 1 Scene3, he says of Roderigo â€Å"thus do I ever make my fool my purse†. This conveys Iago’s character as superior and manipulative. Iago states that Roderigo is a â€Å"fool†; a stupid moron. He also calls him a â€Å"snipe† which is a small bird which also is used to mean unintellegent. Iago refers to Roderigo possessively, referring to him as â€Å"my fool† as if the extent of his own influence makes Roderigo his own possession (as with â€Å"my purse†; purse being an object that is owned). By saying â€Å"I even make† Iago is implying that manipulating a â€Å"fool† for their money is a usual activity for him, as if he always does this. Iago holds such little respect for Roderigo and feels himself so superior that he â€Å"should profane if [he] time expend with such †¦ But for [his] sport and profit†. He’s claiming that Roderigo is so beneath him that it is only for the money (â€Å"profit†) and the game he plays with the characters (â€Å"sport†) that he’d ever bother wasting his time with such an idiot. This seems to be revealing of Iago’s attitude toward social classes. Just because another character is richer or has higher social standing this does not mean that he has any extra respect for them. Taking into account that England in the Elizabethan era worked with strict social classes I think that Shakespeare uses Iago’s lack of respect for the system as another way of demonising him. He is the villain because he believes himself to be superior to everyone else. Iago is Othello’s ‘ancient’. However, Iago obviously feels he is superior to his master. Iago likens Othello to a donkey; a dull, stupid animal. Iago says Othello will â€Å"be led by th’ nose. As asses are†. Asses, or donkeys, are literally led by the nose with a harness. Might the harness be the society they are both part of? This implies that Othello is not free. It implies that he is tamed, obedient, dependent and without a mind of his own. It is Iago’s intention to use this harness to lead Othello to his ruin. In act 1 scene 1 Iago reveals his views on the roles of master and servant (in his case ancient) to Roderigo. Iago’s opinions show his perceived superiority in his character. Iago says how there are â€Å"many a duteous and knee crooking knave that†¦wears out his time, much like his master’s ass†. He is saying that the dutiful are â€Å"knee crooking†, meaning that they bow down, accepting their inferiority. To say that a subordinate â€Å"wears out his time much like his master’s ass† shows how he feels that they waste their lives being another’s workhorse while receiving none of the profits. In this respect Iago feels himself above Othello. By later referring to Othello as an â€Å"ass† he could be the â€Å"knee crooking knave† to the governors of Venice. This is what I feel is supposed to be conveyed by the line: â€Å"were I the Moor, I would not be Iago†. Iago is resentful of the lack of recognition he has received from his society. I would say that Iago has motivation against his society. He misses out on promotion and Cassio takes the position. He resents Cassio for being better educated and of higher social standing. From scene 1 Iago says â€Å"I know my price, I am worth no worse a place† when telling Roderigo of being passed over for promotion. I think that Shakespeare has Iago say this because he’s supposed to be resentful of the lack of recognition he’s received. By saying â€Å"I know my price† he is also saying that no-one else perceives his worth. Iago mentions that Cassio is â€Å"a Florentine† while disrespectfully describing him. That Shakespeare has Iago mention this means that it is relevant. Perhaps that Iago disapproves of a Florentine being promoted in a Venetian army shows he has a kind of respect for the society he’s in. If he is ambitious then he is ambitious toward the higher roles/accomplishments of his own society; Venice. Iago may also feel he has not been duly acknowledged for the fighting he has done for the causes of Venice â€Å"at Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds Christian and Heathen†. By not being advanced he may have felt the sacrifices he made were not appreciated, as if he’d been cheated, which may explain why he cheats so much in the conventions of his society. Iago is presented as being a very effective user of language. He seems to know exactly the right language to use in order to affect the decisions of the other characters. When bating Brabantio he uses course language about his family to infuriate him. Instead of merely informing Brabantio of his daughter’s whereabouts and who she is with Iago tells him that â€Å"your daughter and the moor are now making the beast with two backs†. â€Å"Making the beast with two backs† is a crude euphemism for having sex. â€Å"Beast† implies that the sex is ugly and savage. Iago uses the word ‘moor’ instead of his name, Othello, to bring attention to his race as opposed to his high rank and standing in Venice. Iago knows how to offend. He immediately starts referring to Brabantio’s family in animal terms; â€Å"you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans†. In the Elizabethan era it was probably a taboo to have a mixed race marriage probably because people of African origins would have been considered inferior. This is a reason why Iago refers to Othello as a horse (â€Å"coursers for cousins†). As a further example of Iago’s ability to alarm through his seemingly perverted perception would be â€Å"you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse†. Iago alarms him by conjuring bestial imagery. Bestiality is sacrilegious, which a few hundred years ago was more important than it is now. Perhaps this sacrilegious imagery influenced Brabantio to rationalise his daughter’s behaviour as witchcraft. Shakespeare presents Iago as an effective liar. This must be the case as Othello refers to him in Act one as â€Å"Honest Iago†. He also describes him as â€Å"a man he is of honesty and trust†. Despite Iago keeping Roderigo’s presents to Desdemona for himself he still can convince him of his trustworthiness. When reassuring Roderigo he says â€Å"I have professed me thy friend, and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness†. By claiming that he is Roderigo’s ‘professed’ friend and that he’s prepared to help him with everlasting strength he convinces of his honesty. Iago also successfully manipulates Roderigo by repeatedly suggesting (instructing really) to â€Å"put money in thy purse† so as he can take it from him. Iago repeats this six times. Iago also convinces Roderigo to do his biddings by distracting him with his philosophies; â€Å"Our bodies are our gardens, to which are wills are gardeners†. In this speech Iago basically turns Roderigo’s loss into his own gain.