Greek and Roman Cultures

Alicia Battles AIU-Online Cultural Topics November 11, 2012 Abstract In this assignment I will compare and contrast Greek and Roman Culture. I will discuss the likes and differences of their government, geographic terrain, economics, trade practices, art, architecture, philosophies, and religious beliefs. Greek Terrain- city states separated by hilly countryside and all near water Art- ideal artistic form (Superior to Roman art) Economy- grew wheat, produced, wine and olive oil; thought trading was degrading Social classes- slaves, freedmen, metics, citizens, women; women were not considered citizensGovernment- kings originally ruled, then oligarchy, then democracy Religion- cupid God of Love, Ares God of war, based on human personality traits, Love, Honor, Hatred, Dignity, also their roles in life determined what they were god of; Zeus: sky/weather, Hades: death, Poseidon: sea, aquatics; Physical life was of importance instead of eventuality of the afterlife; Each god had characteri stics that determined their actions; Deities were important for progression of life but mortals were just as Both Geographic Terrain- Mediterranean countriesEconomy- based on agriculture, worked mines, had slaves, produced wine and olive oil, coinage, divided by wealth Religion- same gods but different names and traits Government- originated by kings Philosophy- slowly emerged out of religious awe into curiosity about the principles and elements of the natural world. When Greek population moved to their cities interest changed to social living. Roman Terrain- Rome was inland, and on one side of the Tiber River Art- realistic portraits for decoration Economy- imported wheat, farmers, and also engaged in trade Social Classes- slaves, freedmen, plebeians, patriciansWomen were considered citizens Government- Kings originally ruled, then mixed republican form, then emperors Religion- Eros god of love, Mars god of martial fertility, Deities named after objects; mortals did good deeds to b e rewarded in the afterlife; they strove to gain their place with the gods in heaven Religion- gods not gender specific so their individual characteristics were not central to the myths; myths based in brave, heroic deeds of gods not mortals as mortal life was not important after death; Not individualistic; a warrior found sacred; actions more important than words; gods had no physical mportant as it was their contribution in society that mattered in the end; Individualistic: individuals had more consequences for their actions than that of a group Physical work not as important as creativity Gods were beautiful, bodies, muscles, eyes and hair made them more beautiful. Architecture- Buildings made of wood, clay, or mud bricks, limestone, marble, terracotta, plaster, and bronze; buildings were of the type of religious, funerary, domestic, civic, or recreational themes ppearance; Architecture- Rome adopted most of its architecture from Greek architecture References: http://www. britann ica. com/EBchecked/topic/1350843/Western-philosophy/16256/Shifts-in-the-focus-and-concern-of-Western-philosophy http://www. differencebetween. com/difference-between-greek-and-vs-roman-archit ecture/ http://www. diffen. com/difference/Greek_Gods_vs_Roman_Gods http://ancienthistory. about. com/od/greecevsrome/ss/GreecevsRome_8. htm

Jury In “Twelve Angry Men” Essay

i. Why is it so difficult for the jury in Twelve Angry Men to reach its final verdict? Rose shows that in Twelve Angry Men it is difficult to reach a verdict when jurors essentially have pre conceived ideas and bring personal prejudice in a case, along with Jurors that lack interest. These factors undoubtedly cause conflict and difficulty in the Jury system, which highlights a potential weakness in the democratic process. The trouble also arises from the fact that Juror 8 is one of the few Jurors to initially deliberate honestly and thoughtfully and seeks to obtain justice. Rose suggests that there needs to be active participation In ensuring the jury system operates as intended, and when there is, the final verdict is easier to achieve. Rose suggests that it is hard for the Jury to reach its verdict when Jurors have pre-conceived ideas and show racism. Rose showcases the trouble in individuals having personal prejudice in a case as it can blind them from the facts. This in turn, hinders the Jurors to come to an agreement, as it thwarts their ability to reason and see things from another’s point of view. This notion is highlighted through the bitter Juror 10, who Is the embodiment of racism and prejudice. Juror 10 signifies the potential power of racism, as he believes â€Å"the kids who crawl outta those places are real trash.† Ultimately, this pre conceived idea creates difficulty in constructing a rational opinion on the case, as this belief closes the door on his ability to think from another perspective. In addition, It is difficult for him to reach an agreement as he isn’t prepared to dissect the â€Å"facts† from the â€Å"fancy.† This is further underpinned, as he can’t see the evidence from another perspective, as he is â€Å"sick and tired of facts.† His inability to consider another point of view articulates his close-minded character, that can’t see past his racism and pre conceived ideas. His resentment and bitterness is manifested in his behaviour, as he is â€Å"suddenly angry† or â€Å"disgusted†. This allows Rose to condemn those who cant see past their prejudice and justify why it is difficult for him to come to an understanding as his anger showcases his irrational and illogical character. Through Juror 10 Rose suggests that when individuals bring pre-conceived ideas and arnt prepared to deliberate truthfully it is difficult to come to an unanimous verdict. Rose also underpins the difficulty in coming to a final verdict by showcasing  individuals that bring personal prejudice in a case. Through juror 3, Rose underlines the effect personal prejudice can have on one’s ability to deliberate fairly. Juror 3’s emotional baggage hinders him from being able to go through the democratic process properly and determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Rose suggests that without careful deliberation it is hard to come to an agreed verdict as prejudice prevents individuals from carrying out their civic duty. Juror 3’s personal prejudice and experience is highlighted through his belief that the defendant has â€Å"got to burn,† which suggests that it is hard to see ideas from another’s view point, if an individual is more concerned with their personal problems. The difficulty in reaching a final verdict for juror 3 is underlined through his inability to listen to the other Jurors opinions, and is only able to agree with those who see it from his point of view. This is underlined through him constantly agreeing with those who criticize the boy as he comments â€Å"listen to this man. He knows what he’s talking about† and â€Å"that’s absolutely right.† His personal prejudice prevents him from having an open mind about the other Jurors opinions and can only agree with those who criticize the defendant. Through this, Rose comments on how difficult it is to reach a final verdict when Jurors that show prejudice aren’t open minded and arnt willing to discuss alternative ideas. Rose underlines how difficult it can to be reach a final verdict when individuals show a lack of interest for the case and arnt prepared to think for themselves. Rose implies that those who arnt willing to take the case seriously are a danger to the system and make it a struggle to come to a final agreement. Juror 7 is apathetic to the jury process, as he is more concerned with his own welfare than deliberating honestly and discussing the case. He represents those who place self interest above civic duty, which makes it harder for him to contribute to the final verdict outcome. His impatience and belief that discussing the case â€Å"better be fast† articulates his self centered nature and how he is more concerned with his own personal desires. In addition, it is through Juror 6 that contributes to the difficulty in coming to an unanimous verdict, as he isn’t prepared to think for himself. His lack of confidence and inability to contribute to the case is highlighted through him saying he â€Å"isn’t used to supposing.† Rose  suggests that in order for a verdict to be reached, all members must participate in an open discussion. While it is difficult to reach a final verdict, Rose suggests that the jury system requires participation in order for a verdict to be achieved. Juror 8 is one of the few Jurors that is prepared to stand up against the majority and defend the democratic process. It is difficult to reach a final verdict as Juror 8 initially is the only one who sees this as â€Å"grave responsibility† as the â€Å"death sentence is mandatory.† He shows his concern for the case as he provokes discussion and seeks to obtain justice. However, it is when many of the other juror’s arnt able to follow the process suggests that coming to an agreement is hard without active participation. It is through the active participation that allows the process to thrive and make it easier to come to a verdict. This is evident through quiet Jurors such as Juror 2 to participate and make a contribution to the case, making it easier to come to a final verdict. This is highlighted as he questions evidence â€Å"about the business about the stab wound and how it was made.† His ability to participate in discussion suggests that participation is essential in coming to a final verdict. In addition, Juror 9’s involvement picks up on the old lady’s eyesight, which is a leading factor to the final verdict. Therefore Rose stresses that in order for a final verdict to be reached, participation is required from the jury system. In addition, without contribution it makes it difficult to come to an agreement. Rose stresses how difficult coming to a unanimous agreement is when Jurors have pre conceived ideas, prejudice, racism and arnt interested in taking an interest in the case. However, he suggests that when Jurors make a contribution and actively participates an agreement is finally reached.

Refugees: Human Rights and Largest Refugee Populations

Refugees Part A. Sadly and commonly throughout the world of today with its immense technology, and stature lies an ever growing and simple problem soon becoming an epidemic. Through tyranny styled governments, ignorance and even a lack of awareness and care sits 20 million refugees thrown from their countries simply because it is not safe, to a place where they are unknown. These people are children, mothers and fathers dying endlessly with nowhere to go and without a future.Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution. They are subgroup of the broader category of displaced persons. †¦ en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Refugee A refugee can be defined in a variety of means and in many ways is a definition that often faces misconception with the general public.In many cases it is the way in which the circumstances arise that leaves people confused. Wether or not they were forced and also wether it is simply a home or a country that you become forced out of. A refugee is a person or persons that have been forced out of there natural habitat wether it simply be there home or there country and are left with no other option but to run away, out of fear of persecution, death, or because of natural disaster. They do not necessarily run away from there nation of citizenship but just to another location other then there ordinary home to take refuge.If it is decided that they are either accepted into a country or run into a country for refuge then they are to receive the same freedom and rights as any other ordinary legal resident. However this doesn’t allow them to become immediate citizens or have an extended period of ref uge in the country, if and when there country of origin returns to a state of decency they are then forced to return. These rights include; basic civil rights, freedom of thought, freedom of movement, and freedom from torture and degrading treatment.As with any other individual these people are entitled to have the right to: work, medical care, social and economical rights, and every child must have the right to schooling. We must keep in mind that these people aren’t asylum seekers or immigrants, they simply leave to take refuge and safety. Causes of extended refugee numbers. GOVERNMENT: often in third world and poorly funded nations people are forced to leave as a result of a tyranny styled government. These corrupt officials often associate with terrorists, guerrillas, and drug barons, making the country unsafe and unliveable.FARMING: poorly funded or corrupt nations often lack sufficient land and equipment for farming practices. This is made worse by a lack of education a nd farming knowledge. With this, food numbers and the economy is bought down. The farmers themselves as well as all countrymen and women are left with little food and money and are forced to leave. WAR: Corrupt and poor nations are often at the greatest threat of terrorist and war activity thanks to the government and lack of money. Terrorists prey on these areas with poor security, education and with a wide array of religions.Civilians are at great risk. This is also added to by religious and race fuelled wars. NATURAL DISASTERS: countries often with poor financial backing are worst hit by natural disasters. Farms, the lifeblood of the area as well as buildings which were poorly built originally become demolished. Furthermore infrastructure such as sewerage and water as well as electricity become unsafe and unclean as these nations lack the money not only to fix it but to have had sufficient facilities to begin with. These people are again forced to leave to avoid death.PERSECUTION : is often caused by corrupt governments. Persecution is often aimed at particular races, religious backgrounds, group memberships, and opinions. Many governments stand for unjust laws allowing people to be unfairly persecuted. Where Are the Refugees coming from? AFRICA: ASIA: 1951: 5,000 1951: 41,500 1999: 3,523,100. 1999: 4,781,800 EUROPE: SOUTH AMERICA. 1951: 1,221,200 1951: 120,000 999: 2,617,600 1999: 61,100 NORTH AMERICA. OCEANIA. 1951: 518,500 1951: 180,000 1999: 649,600 1999: 64,500. THE WORLD: 1951: 2,116,200 1999: 11,697,800 The Largest Refugee Populations, 1999. Who is taking responsibility for the care of the refugees? Part B. Solving the refugee epidemic†¦ As with each day we grow in our knowledge stature both scientifically and technologically as does, sadly a societal epidemic in that of our refugee numbers.First and foremost these nations need funding that must find its way to the citizens that need it and not the Government. From here education is a necessity where it then should be used in schools, as well as teaching for trades, farming practices, and general human rights, with social education. As said, the most simple yet in many ways unattainable solution is education, in teaching skills and tolerance. In part A, identified were major causes of the refugee numbers and in each case and example education would have been a solution, with the exception of the Government.Persecution, often caused by race and religion or even opinions is often fuelled by regular citizens who simply haven’t had the correct education and were forced into abiding by certain laws, governments and religions. The people themselves who are often persecuted are the ones who have had the ability to be educated and have their own beliefs rather than those who were taken at a young age and forced to fight or believe in a cause. When it comes to another problem that education can cure, we must look at natural disasters.Obviously the disaster itself cannot be p revented, however the original damage in many cases could have been far less and the rebuilding could be far better, resulting in fewer refugees, had education been received. This education would have helped several aspects of a natural disasters effect. Firstly buildings and farms in the areas would have been constructed and prepared in order to sustain such events and if educated awareness of the event and preparation in procedures before and after the diaster would be far better.Farming itself is extremely significant in providing sufficient aspects of these nations economy so again education is vital. Funding shouldn’t be used to supply food to these nations, but to rather supply education for correct farming practices, equipment, facilities and knowledge. This would not only significantly change refugee numbers but increase economic stability and create jobs and money in the area. This education mainly needs to be served to children of the nation at an extremely young ag e, the future of these nations, who can then provide a emocratic government, as well as having the knowledge to create a sufficiently flowing nation, with agricultural and business benefits. With such religious and social education which is a major problem, corrupt governments will no longer be running the nation and therefore unable to persecute, discriminate or steal. With this education, these nations will grow in stature to provide sufficient, social, economical, health, business, and security aspects that will no longer see citizens forced to run to other countries.

Breach of Contract and Informed Consent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Breach of Contract and Informed Consent - Essay Example ding to the facts of the case, Harvey suffered from carotid artery blockage and while his doctor recommended a surgical procedure, Harvey signed a consent form that restricted use of blood or blood products on his body. He acknowledged potential health risks to his condition. He confirmed this in another agreement a day before the surgery. The surgery appears successful until a blood clot was realized and he suffered a stroke. His mother, who was also listed as the next of kin, then offered consent for subsequent operations and procedures, some of which involved blood transfusion because Harvey lost lots of blood and was at risk of heart attack and death. Harvey later recovered and sued. One of the principles that guide the case is existence of a contract and its terms, and an agreement between Harvey and the doctor prior to the initial surgery identifies this. Consequently, any surgical procedures ought to have been conducted within the terms of the agreement. The agreement was further based on the patient’s informed consent as he acknowledged possible consequences on his decisions on the surgical procedure. This is because the initial agreement that existed in writing identified â€Å"disclosure,† â€Å"comprehension,† â€Å"voluntariness,† â€Å"competence,† and â€Å"consent† (Kennedy, 2008, p. 83). The informed consent was further consistent with statute law on autonomy and informed consent that grants a patient right to information and allows a patient to refuse treatment (Rutgers, n.d.), and case law as was argued in the case of Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital, as the patient reserved the right applicatio ns in the surgical procedures (Albert, 2000). There are however exceptions to the doctrine of informed consent that are applicable to the case and undermine Harvey’s chances of winning. Emergency is an example and defines need for an immediate action with the aim of preserving a patient’s life. This means that delays in a surgical action can

Process Analysis Essay on the Language of Mordovia

Process Analysis on the Language of Mordovia - Essay Example This paper was also able to explain important aspects and developments which now seem to impact on the preservation and use of the Mordovian language. These details formulate part of this paper’s critical analysis. Such details provide links between societal changes and their impact on the language. The explanation of the writer is orderly and detailed. The essay was able to present a structured paper as it discusses the Mordovian language based on the contribution of their society and the Russian historical developments. The paper is highly substantive. In evaluating the content and substance of this paper, it has been noted that the author has concentrated his analysis on a historical context. Although this analysis process is helpful in evaluating the development of the language, it does not provide details in relation to development milestones which would also have impacted on the growth or the decline of the language. The content of the paper is also lacking in more speci fic details in terms of the Russian influence and in terms of the people’s acceptance of their language and changes in such language. The materials, as well as the discussions of the references chosen to support this study, are very much relevant and appropriate for this paper. They help provide support for the contents and for the substance of this topic, as well as provide clarity for some vague aspects of the subject matter. In effect, the topic for this essay is very much relevant because there are various changes being seen in the development of this language – changes which are contributing to the decline of this language’s usage in Mordovian society. The essay is highly informative in terms of presenting important aspects of the Mordovian language, its people, and its history. The discussion is not based on a unidimensional discussion, it is based on a dynamic and diverse perspective on the Mordovian language. The essay even made a clear pitch towards its discussion on the future of the language and its current prospects based on the contemporary global situation. The author tried to ensure that the paper was plagiarism free, however, there are gaps in the paper which seem to indicate that the statement being made are of the author’s own words, when in fact they come from a resource material. The paper needs to be improved in terms of summarization and paraphrasing in order to avoid plagiarism and to ensure that the author’s own words are not used as personal words for this paper. It would have been more appropriate for the student to use more words like â€Å"according to,† â€Å"in the book by,† â€Å"based on,† and similar words which indicate that the statement is not of the student’s own opinion or analysis. This essay is based on the APA format and the student made use of proper APA formatting. The reference page however is not properly formatted. The APA format is not supposed to be n umbered and the references must be placed on a hanging indent. The indents for each paragraph are also not based on the APA format. The flow of ideas from one paragraph to the other is mostly logical. For the most part, the links for the different paragraphs are based on the logical movement of ideas. However, there are some gaps in the flow with some of the paragraphs failing to provide links to the next paragraph.

Health determinants Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health determinants - Assignment Example The patient encountered hardships as a result of his lack of income. He was unable to provide for his daily needs, which was accelerated by rising cost of living. He was not able to acquire basic education due to his lack of finances and therefore could not cope with the demands of the current job market. Such people are discriminated against in his society and would not be considered for leadership positions. Consequently, this socio-economic instability also affected the patient’s ability to establish and support his own family. Moreno and Warah (2007) state that a significant proportion of the world’s population lack access to a proper living environment. The physical environment in which the patient lived exposed him to health hazards and stress, leaving him without adequate shelter and clothing. This is a significant determinant of health as the patient was not protected from hostile environmental conditions such as rain and mosquito bites, among other harmful issues. Moreover, personal hygiene cannot be maintained without proper shelter and access to safe food and water. Individual risk factors also determine the overall health status of a person. For example, the patient turned to substance abuse as a mechanism of coping with his stress. Maurer and Smith (2013) argue that emotionally stressed people accelerate their demise through a lack of understanding their predicament and by engaging in negative behavior. Stressed individuals tend to seek self-gratification through undignified behavior especially when they lack money and resources. They tend to abuse illicit drugs that are easily obtained through the black market. The patient had a long history of abusing substances such as cannabis sativa and resin. Although these substances made the condition worse, the patient used them as stimulants. Jacobsen (2014) postulates that a minor change in a social system might influence the entire system; therefore, it should not be ignored. It is important for

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF CANAD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF CANAD - Essay Example The first class consists of sedimentary  rocks which form the Earths surface. Some consist of fragments that vary in range and are eroded from older  rocks and deposited as gravel, sand or mud and are then consolidated by burial yielding  conglomerate, sandstone or shale respectively. Others comprise of chemical deposits, for example gypsum or rock salt, which resulted from evaporation of seawater. Still others result from biological activities, for instance cemented shell fragments or coral reefs form limestone. Sedimentary  rocks  make  up  the easternmost ranges of the Canadian Cordillera known as the Mackenzie, Rocky and Franklin mountains, but are common in the western Cordillera as well. Many sedimentary rocks  have petrified remains of animals and plants (fossils), and older  rocks  contain diverse kinds of fossils compared to younger  rocks. Igneous  rocks  originated deep within the Earth as molten rock or magma. Magma that solidified deep within the earth formed platonic rock such as granite, which is a common rock particularly in the coast mountains of the western Cordillera and are widely distributed elsewhere. Magma that emerged as lava and cooled at the Earths surface formed a variety of volcanic rock, which is widespread in the interior plateau region and elsewhere in the western Canadian Cordillera. Metamorphic  rocks  formed when igneous  or sedimentary rocks  were buried deep within the Earth during mountain formation. New minerals grew while old features of the rock were destroyed in response to the high temperatures and pressures encountered in the Earth’s core. Consequently, limestone changed to marble, shale to schist, and platonic rock to gneiss. Metamorphic  rocks  are common in the Shuswap Highland, the Coast Mountains and the Columbia, Omineca and Cariboo ranges of the eastern Cordillera. The presence of metamorphic  rocks  at the surface is the evidence of those parts of the

Doing Business in Europe, Asia and the Americas Research Paper

Doing Business in Europe, Asia and the Americas - Research Paper Example Typically, these consisted independent operations in the handle of an expatriate. In its proliferation, the facilitation of information flow prompted the creation of offshore headquarters which functioned isolate of the local core group (Barber, J. P. 2002, pp.1-5). However, these international structures had about one third of the offshore venture in the form of shared ownership (Casseres 2006, p. 4). What firms manifest these days is cognizant of the global outlook. Less differentiation is placed on the local operations vis-a-vis the international division. Strategic structures shift authority and responsibility to the central domain, without the former 'single line authority' in force, rather a multiple lines responsibility (Barber, J. P. 2002, pp.1-5). Sheer size is given importance in the new corporate international strategy (Egelhoff 1988, p. 1-14). These firms have similar and complimenting features, when combined can operate more competently. They are alike because each is an industry icon that spells out of a history of corporate prestige. In the same way these firms compliment, having pursued a different market position in product lines such as novelty brands Oreo cookies over dairy milk chocolate. Cadbury and Kraft supplement one another in geographical footprint, thus distribution lines are less redundant, if not broadened (Beaudin, 2010). In the context and analysis of industry, a pair of firms can operate more competently when combined. In fact, dissimilar capabilities are often synchronized in the manufacture of opposite goods (Casseres 2006, p. 8-12). Acquisitions improve efficiency by seizure of synergies between firms (Crosoni, Gomes, McGinn, & Noth 2004, p.481-512). When put together, Cadbury-Kraft becomes an industry powerhouse. Both sum up an unrivalled portfolio of tremendous potential (The Independent 2010, sc. 2-4). The long term forecast revenues are estimated at a strait annual 5% upward trend in revenues and company growth at 9-11%. On its own, Kraft revenues rises at about 4% with company growth of 7- 9%. A prolonged growth in revenues determines annual cost savings of $625 million (Value Expectations 2010, sc. 1-3). It is argued that such transformation creates larger economies of scale higher and larger geographical markets (Lambrecht 2000, p.1-4). The takeover is meant to reshape market competition, imposing influence on emerging markets. The industry for chocolate and sweets is quite gaping and loosely split between international conglomerates: Mars, Wrigley, Kraft, Hershey, Ferrero and Nestl (Beaudin 2010, sc. 1-4). By the acquisition of Cadbury, Kraft assumes to suppress rivalry by the bundle of capabilities (Casseres 2006, p. 8-12). In other words, the industry turns out to be less competitive and too concentrated (Crosoni, Gomes, McGinn, & Noth 2004, p.481-512). And why global shares are expected to rise by 5% points from the estimated 20% holding for both firms (Value Expectations 2010, sc. 1-3). Takeovers can reduce production costs at minimal or result in

Scientific Notation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Notation - Essay Example f writing 300,000,000 for the light’s speed in meters per second, by moving the decimal point from the rightmost zero eight places to the left until before 3, the value is reduced to 3 x 108 in scientific notation where 8 is a power of 10 that signifies the count of zeros responsible for the number’s lengthy structure. Basically, equations consist of variables that are normally combined with constants to form a specific relation between quantities that possess individual meanings such as cost (in dollars), number of years, population, number of items, or even revenue. Variables may be dependent or independent but by solving a system of equations, these unknown variables may be determined. In everyday life, when equations are solved, one is able to find out exact solutions of two functions whose intersection could mean a break-even point or a point where one relation bears equal advantage to the other. Obtaining real solutions in a process is essential in fields such as physics, chemistry, and other sciences that apply equations in

Kinds of movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Kinds of movies - Essay Example Action movies are two-dimensional, a protagonist on a quest to conquer an antagonist who afflicts the people. The category has intense local motion, low-key lighting resulting in visual disturbance, spectacular rhythm and pacing (Rasheed and Shah 2). Examples include American Sniper 2014 and Fast and Furious 7 2015. The second genre is comedy that has a low local motion with high-key lighting usually less dramatic and happy (Rasheed and Shah 2). Comedies are cheerfully and consistently designed to provoke laughter and amusement to the audience through exaggerating language, action, situations. Examples of comedies include Big Mommas and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. The last genre is drama, which is a plot-driven play, portraying real characters, life situations, stories and settings. Drama involves character interaction and development not relying on any special effect such as in action or comedy. Examples include Day One and Girls. The movies may serve to educate and guide especially the younger members of the society if the casting theme is a representation of a prevailing challenge. In summary movies play a great role in the entertainment industry besides being educative especially to the younger members of the society. Action, drama and comedy make the major classes of movies with each serving a unique purpose and theme to the

Cross-Cultural Interactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross-Cultural Interactions - Essay Example Cross-cultural interactions between 500 and 1500 CE The period between 500 CE and 1500 CE saw the emergence of various cross-cultural events that are crucial in understanding world history. These cross-cultural interactions had significant socio-economic and political ramifications for all the societies that were involved. Previous centuries had seen a long period of instability in major societies such as China, Southwest Asia, Mediterranean and India. During 500 CE, the aforementioned societies were faced with a need to restore social and political order. This stability was to be provided by empires that were well established which were Tang, Abbasid and Byzantine from China, Southwest Asia and eastern Mediterranean respectively. These empires commanded order over vast territories and had economies that were very powerful. Core to cross-cultural interactions was the spread of major religions. In particular, Islam spread across India, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Another religion that played a vital role in bringing about cross-cultural interactions was Buddhism, which alongside with Confucianism spread from China via Korea to Vietnam. This period was also characterized with the spread of Christianity in the northern and the western part of Europe (Bently pg753). The beginning of 1000 CE and subsequent years saw a quick change in cultures throughout the world. Kingdoms and states became more centralized and cross-cultural interactions increased tremendously.... Kingdoms and states became more centralized and cross-cultural interactions increased tremendously. In America, this is the period that led to the emergence of Andean, Mayan and Mississippian cultures. European renaissance, which is a major event in world history, occurred during this period. In addition, great empires and centralized states such as the Mongol empire in Asia emerged during this period. However, during the 14th century, cross-cultural interactions decreased tremendously following the demise of many participants in long-distance trade through bubonic plague. The Europeans and the Chinese were major culprits as they lost millions of people to the epidemic. The cross-cultural interactions did not die completely. The 15th century was a period when the western Europeans became prominent due to the wealth they had amassed from cross-cultural encounters with various societies. This prominence set standards for their part in influencing major undertakings in various parts of the world even in the modern world (Bently pg766). Significance of the Cross-Cultural Interactions The conquests and trading activities that were carried out by Muslim states led to a remarkable distribution of food and crops throughout Asia, which resulted to growth of population and increased food production in Europe, China and North Africa. Long distance trade was an aspect of culture that developed during this period. This trade brought major implications in culture and religion. Merchants carrying out this trade traversed various societies and cultural regions whereby they integrated with new communities. These merchants played a major role in the establishment of religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism in Asia, Christianity in Asia and Islam in some parts

Health and Safety Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety Essay Explain how health and safety is monitored and maintained and how people in the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely. In my placement we have a safeguarding policy but we don’t have a health and safety polices that I am aware of but the safeguarding polices is available on the schools website. Anyone is able to get on to the website and their policies. We have a sigh by the sink in the staff room say warning hot water and we have a sigh in the classrooms letting children and staff knows that the water in the tabs is drinking water we also have fire safety sign around the school. They always have meeting every month on health and safety but it is only for the main teachers. We have a fire drill twice a year so all the children and staff know where to go in case of a fire they had a fire drill last week which was good cause I did not know where to go if a fire happens so it help me cause now I know where to go if a fire happens. We always tell the children not talk to strangers and when the children are going home they are not allowed to leave an till the adults tell them that they can go cause we need to make sure that the right people are picking the children up and that they are not going off with strangers or with someone they are not meant to go home with.

Bullying At School: Causes, Effects and Implications

Bullying At School: Causes, Effects and Implications School Bullying has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon that has received very little or no attention at all. In recent years, it has garnered global attention and, although studies have concentrated on the view point from the victims perspective, recent studies are geared towards studying bullying from a social and cultural view. Bullying is defined as a methodical way of demoralizing a person or a group of people who may seem inferior to a potential bully or group of bullies due to many different factors such as race, gender, intellectual ability or just a way to feel better about themselves. Throughout this paper, we will look at the many different areas that have been identified as critical functions in remedying an age old problem that has been a staple in schools across the entire world for many years. Contributing Factors and Family Types Now we have to have a good understanding of some of the contributing factors that makes up the components of the bully, the bullied and the bystander. Although bullying is a learned behavior, a major contributing factor is derived from what is learned in the home. Studies have shown that there three types of families that contribute to bullies. The first one dubbed The Brick Wall family demonstrates the belief that power equals control. This type of environment proves to be a great training ground for a potential bully. Various factors figure into the equation like one parent demonstrates absolute authority, rigid enforcement of rules by use of threats or imagined violence, use of humiliation and being taught What to think, Not how to think (Barbara, Colorosa). The second type of family commonly referred to as The Jellyfish Family tend to promote the virtues of a child to become a bully, a vulnerable target or bystander by not setting boundaries and structure for children, the parent physically and psychologically abandons the children and second chances are routinely given. The last family The Backbone Family is not demanding at all. They do not demand respect; they model and teach it, rules are clear and simply stated and mistakes are viewed as chances to learn. Clearly, family has a decisive advantage in determining a childs course, but society has become a greater teacher than any home can be due to all the advances in technology such as the internet, cell phones, and peer pressure and the lack of parents being home due to dual income families being needed more now during the current recession going on in America today (Barbara, Colorosa). Seven Types of Bullies Briefly we have looked at contributing factors to bullies, but we will take a glance at the several different types of bullies. The Confident Bully often has a hefty ego and sense of dominance; The Social Bully is resentful of the optimistic traits of others; The Fully Armored Bully is calm and isolated; The Hyperactive Bully has trouble making friends; The Bullied Bully is bullied by adults or older kids; The Bunch of Bullies usually perceived as nice kids and last, but not least the Gang of Bullies is a group drawn together in pursuit of control, ascendancy and total absolution of power (Barbara, Colorosa). All have different agendas, but they all use the three basics fundamentals of bullying; verbal, physical, and relational. Verbal bullying accounts for 70% of all reported bullying for mainly two reasons (Barbara, Colorosa); It is easy to get away with and if it is accepted by the majority, it degrades the intended target. Physical bullying is actually only responsible for one-thirds of all reported incidents and the bully whom actually results to this form is more likely to move onto more serious criminal offenses in the future. Racial bullying is an area that we have not ventured into; however it is prevalent taking place in climates where differences are deemed as bad and where common bonds are not celebrated. The Victim or the Bullied The Victim or Bullied can become a target for bullying due to a variety of factors. This can be due to the victim being the new kid on the block, the kid who is smaller and younger in a new school, being submissive, gifted or talented, physical or mental disabilities or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time (Barbara, Colorosa). In any case the bullied child becomes isolated from their peers and develops survival strategies rather than social skills. Bullies are often successful due to the fact they are ashamed, afraid of retaliation, they dont believe anyone can or wants to help and society has led people to believing ratting is not acceptable. Even though secrecy is a another significant factor to a bullys success, a child who is the victim of bullying will display warning signs and adults whether a teacher or parent must be mindful in observation of the warning signs. Children speak through their body language, facial expressions, eyes, words and the tone of voice when asked certain questions (Barbara, Colorosa). When children display a certain abrupt disinterest in school or refuses to go, is hungry after school, claims to have lost lunch money, stops talking about everyday activities and peers or completely does something out of their normal character, it can be an indicator there may be a problem. In todays society, most of the above mentioned clues almost describes a majority of kids today especially teenagers, but as we will visit later knowing your children and establishing an open line of communication can be vital in ensuring your children chances of being a victim of bullying are minimized. Education of children will help in reducing the potential of a child becoming a bullying victim. It is imperative that children are taught how to react when they are placed in a situation dealing with a bully or a group of bullies; Assurance is a key instrument, letting a child know that they are not alone; affirm that it is not their fault; establish that there are measures that you as a parent can take and immediately inform school personnel of the bullying issues or concerns. Just as easy as you can reassure your children of all the measures that can be implemented, equal caution must be exercised as not to hinder a childs capability to resolve some issues on their own so as not to be shunned by the other children as an individual who cannot function without their parents direct involvement. Justification of a bullys action can be detrimental to your relationship or trust previously established; educate your child, but let they figure out the best way to exist amongst their peers; avoidance should not be a course of action and by all means violence should only be used if they are in imminent danger by the bully or group of bullies. The next group we will explore is the Bystander (s) who more than often not are just caught in the middle and basically are glad that the bully is not targeting them. Bystander (s) tend to think that intervention will cause greater suffering, they simply do not know what actions to take, dont want to become the focal point of the bully or they dont want to get hurt themselves. The victims of bullying have been identified as suffering from various health problems, including diminished levels of psychological well-being, poor social adjustment, psychological distress and physical symptoms (Rigby, 1996, 2003). Victims have a wide range of issues such as social isolation, truancy, suicidal tendencies and depression. Also, experiencing peer harassment has been linked to depression, loneliness and social isolation. Victims often exhibit low self-esteem, have fewer friendships, school absences and even suicide. Relational bullying has also been related to rejection of peers, loneliness, isolation, depression and social anxiety all proved to be directly related to future psychological difficulties, according to Jacobsen, Kristen. The Bystander (s) Bystander (s) abilities or lack thereof, contribute to their fears and the lack of skills to cope with the issues leads to apathy and due to the fact that Bystander (s) witness first hand bullying tactics, they are apt to becoming bullies themselves. Bystander (s) rationalize why they do not take actions when they observe a bully targeting a child or a group of children; they are friends with bully, its not my problem, he/she is a loser or the fact that they dont want to be labeled as a snitch. Another aspect of bystander (s) perpetuating bully tendencies is through the spreading of rumors. Rumors are easy to start, spread and in lament terms hard to confirm or deny and children are not concerned with facts, they believe what everyone else does. Their ability to decipher the truth whether they want to or not is the real issue; simply they just want to fit in regardless of the truth, thus indirectly they are assisting the bully in tormenting the targeted child or children. Three factors that will empower bystander (s) is the ability to recognize, refuse and report are the steps they will need to be taught in order to not help in the bullying process. Social Experience and School Bullying Social Experience and School Bullying studies have shown that these problems extend well beyond the school and that children are exposed to dangerous situations in their own neighbor hoods on a daily basis. These experiences within the very communities that they live in undermine relationships between students and their teachers and bring to light that intervention needs to be extended to the broader community and neighborhood. A vast majority of studies have concentrated on the psychological profiles of bullies and their victims. According to these reports, bullies tend to assume a dominant role in interpersonal relationships and display lack of empathy. They are reported as displaying high self-esteem but also egotistic defensive traits (Salmivalli, Kaukiainen, Kaistaniemi, Lagerpetz, 1999; Smith, 2004). Studies also suggests that like other aggressive individuals, bullies attribute hostile intentions to the people with whom they are interacting and that they are incapable of resolving conflicts without resorting to acts of violence (Crick Dodge, 1999; Dodge, Bates Pettis) . Classroom Management, Bullying and Teacher Practices Teachers play a vital role in the school environment; the enforcement of school policies and ethos and the social interactions within the classroom. The absence of an adult (s) presence often contributes to bullies and their objectives. Studies have revealed that some teachers just dont observe the deviant behavior or they simply do not know how to handle the situation involving bullies. Some cases have illustrated that training is sorely needed in order to help in the ever growing epidemic. In some cases, teachers have intervened in physical bullying cases, but they acknowledge that the aspect of identifying relational bullying is hard to identify. Now teachers and counselors have different roles in the school, but they are inter-related on so many levels. Teachers are primarily educators and have limited experience in counseling, thus enter the counselor. The counselor primary role is to ensure the students success academically, career and socially. Due to the fact that the counselor works with the entire school population, they will have a better understanding on some of the underlying issues that the teacher just may not have time to observe. Teachers can prove to be a valuable asset in the fight against bullies, but training is still required to enhance the readiness of all school staff and administrators. For the most experienced to the novice of all teachers, teaching in todays society has become more challenging than ever. It requires the ability to adapt to new and constant changing demands. Although the issue is not new, a new light was shed on the issue during the Columbine High School shooting in April, 1999 (Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum, Modzeleski, 2002). In recent years, research has implicated teasing, harassment, and bullying in a number of targeted schools shootings that have taken place in the United States, according to (Kathleen P. Allen). Now in recent years, newer teachers in the profession stated they have felt unprepared for todays classroom management skills when it comes to managing administrative tasks, curriculum and behavior issues. According to (Kathleen P. Allen), additionally, it is a well- established fact that student misbehavior is a factor in teacher burnout and the decision for novice teachers to leave the profession. How Do Teachers Learn Classroom Management and Discipline When you look at this complex issue, classroom management is not what it was in the past. Classroom rules and guidelines were the main points other than course requirements in the past; however in todays culture, teachers have to worry about safety of themselves and other students, being innovative and creative to keep students interested and constantly adapting to changes to the profession. Teachers have to incorporate effective teaching strategies which include meaningful content, powerful teaching strategies and an organizational structure to support productive learning. Successful teachers employ strategies for establishing rules and procedures, organizing groups, monitoring and pacing classroom events, and reacting to misbehavior, according to (Kathleen P Allen). Some teachers may revert back to when they were in school and how their teachers maintained discipline. Although many of these teacher may not be teaching due to retirement, they still may act in a capacity as a mentor to todays generation of younger teachers. Now for up and coming teachers in college, management techniques are being incorporated in the curriculum to help circumvent these issues. Practical experience can only be gained through actual job experience, but they have a foundation to build on. Teachers currently in the business attend working group, field observations, student teaching, seminars and gain valuable experience by sharing ideas and talking with their teacher counterparts. Bullying, Prevalence, Definitions and Issues According to Kathleen P. Allen, in the largest survey of bullying in schools in the United States to date 29.9% of students were found to be involved in bullying demographics: 13% were bullies, 10.6% as victims, 6.3% as bully-victims. This study is a direct indicator that there is a definite problem that must be addressed in the United States school system. In looking into the issue of bullying, it has been discovered that it is a two way street. Now bullying from a teachers perspective in defined as a teacher who uses his or her power to reprimand, control or ridicule a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary course of action. According to Kathleen P. Allen, 45% of 116 teachers surveyed at an elementary school admitted to bullying students. Also, at one intermediate school, 30% of students stated they were bullied by teachers. During another study, it was founded that in the United Kingdom that high school teachers were bullied by 56.4% by students at least once, 35.6% by students sometimes or more and 9.9% by students several times a week. The focal point of this particular part is that this behavior is undermining the sanctity of the education process and promoting reciprocated aggression. In the event, and lack of evidence of adult bullying going on within schools themselves, is probably a direct factor of bullying being perpetuated throughout the masses. Teachers are an intricate part in establishing a positive climate, thus they must maintain a professionalism that is unparallel to none. Teacher Knowledge of Bullying In order for teachers to prevent bullying they have to be educated on how to recognize the signs and most of all they must be aware of what measures to take to reduce this epidemic. What is viewed by most teachers as normal gossip and simply kids being kids is truly the tip of the iceberg. Physical altercations and the communicating of verbal threats is what teachers view as bullying; however through cell phone texting, email and more sophisticated ways of disguising bullying tactics teachers are fighting a losing battle. Students are very manipulative, and due to lack of classroom management abilities and the fact of teachers being overworked, underpaid and stressed beyond the point of no return, some teachers simply just dont care enough to go the extra mile and the ones who do care simply are just out numbered. Some scholars have looked at bullying as a social phenomenon, bullies tend to need an audience and this adds to the bullys powerbase. From an ecological perspective, students tend to be a product of their society. Since they live in neighborhoods where violence and aggressiveness are prevalent, they adapt to what they learn from society. Unfortunately, the school environment is where the aggression is practiced. Emotional distress has been associated with exposure to neighborhood violence often interferes academic performance and escalates the potential risks of peer bullying. Different variables have a definite impact on the bullying epidemic sweeping the globe at an alarming rate. First, we look at the sense of community-the acuity of belonging to a neighborhood, social relationships that implies to the eagerness to help others. Secondly, the exposure to dangerous and violent events where the young people live on a day to day basis. The perceived safety in the neighborhoods in conjunction with the serious nature of social problems. Lastly, different variables such as school climate, relationships with classmates, relationships with teachers and attitudes towards school. Young people who are exposed to neighborhood violence often find it hard to control their feelings of anger and irritability which contributes to poor academic performance. Students who exhibit the lack of self control find it difficult to concentrate on basic school tasks. They are hyperactive, impulsive and easily distracted and find it difficult to sit still long enough to do typical school work. What Can We Do About Bullying Prevention and Intervention are ongoing studies, life experiences, reading materials, workshops and attending presentations dealing with this topic in depth. Teachers are continuing to educate themselves through schools adopting different programs that has proven to be effective in other schools foreign and domestic. These adopted programs require continual updated training, but in every attempt to reduce bullying it is a sacrifice an overwhelming number of teachers is willing to make. Very often these programs advocate policy development as well as well as realignment of the school or classroom code of conduct and behavior management systems. Goals are obvious with these programs, reduction or the complete eradication in the bullying/victim problems in and out of the school setting and to prevent future problems (Dan Olweus). All attention is normally directed toward the direct bully concept. As previously stated, direct bullying involves relatively open attacks on another student and may include words, gestures, facial expressions or physical contact. Indirect bullying must be addressed as well. A student exposed to this indirect bullying has a hard time making friends within his or her class and is excluded from the peer group. There is a direct link between the two types of bullying; direct bullying victims are rejected by their peers and basically isolated. There is also a lot of students who are isolated and lonely without being a target by their fellow students. Awareness and involvement involve two general conditions; Adults at schools and to some measure at home must become aware of what bully/victim problems exist in their childs school and that parents must take an active part in correcting the problem. Bullying has proven to be a considerable problem in many countries across the world and reassures everyone in the teaching profession that no school is bully proof. A reasonable assumption is that when you have several children together and they cant decide who cannot be included in the group, and then bully tendencies will arise. Mapping the extent of the bully/victim problems at a particular school are a good start for an intervention program Dan Olweus). Should there an insignificant amount of bullying at a school, there must be an attempt to correct the problem altogether. By establishing that these problems exist in schools across the nation, parents and teachers must be persuaded to take aggressive action. Parents must understand that this is not an inevitable part of a childs life. Individual measures that can be taken by the teacher is if suspected bullying is taking place then he/she should confront the bully or bullies immediately. The intent is to let these offenders know that this type of behavior will not be tolerated by anyone. Should it be deemed that it is a group of bullies, and then each student should be handled on an individu al basis. Swift action should be taken so as to prevent collaboration between the groups can be established. In most cases, should the group be allowed to conspire, then the victim will be made out to be the villain. Due to the fact that bullies are calculating, devious, persuasive individuals and often possess leadership abilities which entice others to follow them. After all individuals have been interviewed separately, then placing all offenders in a group and reinforcing the facts that bullying will not be tolerated and inform all parties to include parents of possible repercussions should alleged if not proven behavior should continue.

Relationship between Gender, Identity and Civil Disobedience

Relationship between Gender, Identity and Civil Disobedience Hannah Rates Gender, Identity and Civil disobedience: Are they the solution to their own problem? Social political concepts are arguably becoming the most important and highly discussed governmental topics. Gender, identity and civil disobedience are highly relevant in modern society and effect everyones day to day lives. As society is changing and modernizing the roles and meanings of these three concepts are also adapting. I look to explain their similarities and differences as well as how they have affected the global population throughout history and continue to do so. Identity politics is a name given to political positions who share the same interests and views of social minority groups in which people identify, often the individuals have shared experiences of injustice, (Heyes, 2016a) this leads to the challenge of other oppressive groups with the goal usually being equality. Identity political groups aim to secure political freedom of a specific constituency marginalized within its larger context. (Heyes, 2016b) Identity politics is a term that has only been used in recent history originating from around the 1960s. There are hundreds if not thousands of cases of minority groups who are oppressed all over the world including but not limited to gay individuals, women, ethnic minority groups, Muslims as well as well as many other less recognized groups. Collective Identity politics has many positive effects on individuals, a feeling of solidarity with others through constructed collective identity provides an immutable and all-encompassing group t hat supply an escape from the society that oppresses them. One of the biggest collective identity movements in recent history is feminism, their goal was to remove the opposed biological determinist views that men are stronger and smarter than women to gain equal rights which included: the right to vote, reproductive and domestic rights along with many more. Women identifying with each other to challenge the oppression they faced created a way for individual womens voices to be heard, although women grouped together they campaigned for equal rights which benefited each individual in that group. Identity however is a contested concept, where collective identity is accentuated individualism diminishes and where solidarity with a persons minority is gained it is then restricted to one group. A person may have a single identity, but it will be made up of many levels of loyalty and identification. Identities change, because they are based on perceptions, which themselves change over time and environment; as it is possible to identify ones self with more than one thing at a time such as class and gender, or religion and age. Therefore, there are various elements of ones identity and which operate at different levels and these various elements in an identity may well be contradictory. (Concept of collective identity, 2015) Identity politics can be destructive as it can encourage people to fixate or excaudate their sense of persecution, it can also focus the stigmatization which then instigates the effect further. Inside a minority group differences are also overlooked which in turn divides the group internally; in feminist history, ethnic and gay feminists see themselves as having nothing in common with white straight feminists they then end up competing over their relative degree of victimization. (Todd, 2013) Judith Butlers argued using queer theory that the feminist movement only emphasised the differences between men and women by grouping women as individuals wit h the same interests and characteristics. She explained feminism as an unwitting regulation and reification of gender relations reinforcing a binary view of gender relations in which human beings are divided into two clear-cut groups, women and men. Rather than opening up possibilities for a person to form and choose their own individual identity. (David, no date) Judith Butlers use of queer theory in her book gender trouble has also been one of the main driving forces behind the contesting of gender. Gender is defined as either the male or female division of a species, especially as differentiated by social and cultural roles and behaviour. (Dictionary, 1300) As society progresses gender is becoming a multifaced concept that is constantly being challenged, the idea that sex is biological and gender is socially constructed has become a constant discussion point in the world of politics. Society is progressing with the help of technology and social media giving minority genders a voice, resulting in the world becoming more accepting of contested identitys. Transgender and genderqueer individuals identifying as a group has had positive outcomes and helped to empower people. This therefore gives evidence of contested genders becoming more widely accepted. To to be able to identify with their particular gender group however, individuals are required to succumb to specific gender labels which can then often cause them to be treated differently and negatively by peers, loved ones and so ciety. Throughout history many feminists have disagreed and have endorsed the sex gender distinction. Provisionally: sex denotes human females and males depending on biological features (chromosomes, sex organs, hormones, and other physical features); gender denotes women and men depending on social factors (social role, position, behaviour or identity). (Mikkola, 2016) Masculine and feminine behaviour has been learnt through nurture and gender socialisation and has created many inequalitys over time. One of the main objective of feminists, mainly in the second wave movement, was to reverse the gender roles created by society. The idea that women are created to raise children and stay at home doing the cleaning and cooking with a male dominated family has been a view challenged by feminists through many mass protests. Second wave feminism also known as the womens liberation movement set to overhaul gender inequality in private after first wave feminism had achieved public equality, aiming to remove the idea of the public man and the private woman. During second wave feminism the personal is the political became a rallying phrase to dispute the nuclear family and family values which resulted with gender becoming political. Challenging authority through civil disobedience became a very effective tactic for second wave feminists used to gain gender equality. Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government. (Brownlee, 2013a) The term originated from Henry David Thoreau in 1848 when he refused to pay the poll tax as he did not want to contribute to the funding of war and slavery. In Thoreaus essay, he justifies his actions by saying that government is best which governs least, men will someday be able to have a government that does not govern at all. As it is, government rarely proves useful or efficient. It is often abused and perverted so that it no longer represents the will of the people. (LLC, 2016) Throughout history civil disobedience has been used to change societys moral parameters; Gandhis salt march, civil rights movement and suffragettes are all prime examples of instances where civil disobedience proved to be an important mechanism for social change. (Brownlee, 2013b) John Rawls states that a civil diso bedience movement must be: public, non-violent, a conscientious yet political act, contrary to the law and it must aim to bring change to policies and the law. John Rawls suggest that the main point of the movement is that it must be conscientious, this highlights the seriousness and sincerity in which the civil disobedient break the law; through their disobedience, they draw attention to draw attention to laws or policies that they believe require reassessment or rejection. (Brownlee, 2013c) Henry David Thoreau emphasised the importance of human conscience in his 1848 essay stating we should be men first, and subjects afterwards. (Henry David Thoreau, 2017) The non-violence aspect of civil disobedience is also an important factor of the movement as it is not only moral but strategic and more effective, an uprising is 50% more likely to fail (Fisher, 2013a) if violence is used. If a protest does become violent then that legitimizes the states use of violence in response (Fisher, 201 3b) and is also less likely to have support from the public often polarizing them in support of the government. The argument that we all have the right to civil disobedience as part of our democratic rights, alongside our human right to freedom of speech are two factors believed toto encourage oppressed minority groups to speak out about their injustices, this is reflected by civil disobedience protests being known to gain more attention than any other forms of protest. Acts of Civil disobedience by minority groups including gender minority have been carried out throughout history, one of the largest being the feminist movement. The politics of gender roles and inequality have been at the heart of all womens liberation movements especially during second wave feminism. In more recent history Polish women carried out civil disobedience in October 2016 to protest against the governments proposed ban on all abortions with women facing imprisonment if the law was broken. Tens of thousand s of women missed work and school wearing all black to peacefully protest outside parliament against the Law and Justices party proposed ban. The mass protests caused parliament to reconsider and then reject the proposed ban. Poland already have the most restrictive laws on abortion in Europe with women only being able to have one in certain circumstances, however many activists see parliaments choice to over throw the ban as a chance to gain liberation in the near future. Identity politics is a concept that runs parallel with all acts of civil disobedience, individuals identify with each other and all share the same goal which is often equality and social justice. Every civil disobedience movement emphasizes a collective notion of the good. They suggest that when we identify ourselves with something larger than our own identity, we are compelled to take action. We are driven to bring about social reform because we value the importance of helping others. (Enotes, 2016a) In his essay , Thoreau emphasises the importance of coming together as a collective identity as the only way to achieve social reform, he also believes that all individuals should ignore their individual differences and work together towards a collective goal. Thoreau sees a persons power increasing when they unify with others in the cause for social reform. (Enotes, 2016b) The second wave feminist movement and the 2016 Polish protests were both collective actions trying to gain social reform for both identity and gender through civil disobedience. Social political concepts are continuing to shape modern day society, and the majority of these groups are co-dependant. The argument that collective identity diminishes individuality in that group is ongoing. Whist individualism is conceivably reduced, many civil disobedience movements contain individuals that have different standing views on what theyre protesting against. In the case of feminism there are radical and liberal groups inside the larger feminist group. Some radical groups focus on trying to overthrow patriarchy rather than liberal feminists who try to change society to make it equal. This shows that the strive for identity within civil disobedience exceeds the concept of just gender. Although both radical and liberal feminist groups have the same common goal it highlights the flaws of collective identity as the group works against the larger movement cohesion due to their opposed views on aspects of the feminist ideology. Many radical feminists will not accept men to be part of their movement due to their feelings of oppression caused by a patriarchal society throughout history, this excludes men and reinforces the dichotomic view of gender relations highlighting gender differences through identity. Queer theory can be used to understand the contradicting views of both identity and gender; queer theory supports the idea that gender is free flowing and an expression. It contradicts collective identitys as identity consists of so many aspects, to group identities collectively based on one variable e.g. gender is wrong. A difference perspective on collective identities with regards to gender however is that it can empower many people, as more people in modern society are identifying as gay or transgender the glamorization of identity through gender has increased this holds true for many gender labels. Whilst people seek confidence by identifying with these gender labels the end result can be that individuals have restricted themselves to the stereo typical behaviour of that gender identity. Many civil disobedience movements aim to compact the stereotypical view of gender roles and behaviours showing how the three concepts not only intertwine but often provoke each other. It is clear that collective identities are sought out by individuals in order to find solidarity in a certain group, they are used to construct community and feelings of cohesion and holism, a concept to give the impression that all individuals are equal in the imagined community. Gamson argues that fixed identity categories are both the basis for oppression and the basis for political power, again further outlining that civil disobedience is not only comprised by collective identitys, but that they are also a catalyst for many civil disobedience movements. Connotations associated with gender often form these collective identitys that in turn form civil disobedience. Without collective identity, civil disobedience movements would be ineffective; movements are only taken seriously if its a large identity group working towards the same goals. In the example of the feminist movement and the polish protests women identified with their gender to campaign for equality however identifying in this group women have highlighted their oppression and focused the stigmatization. Although quite obviously linked identity does not only exist through the marinization of oppressive groups, if society was completely equal both identity and gender would still exist and where there is democracy there is inevitably civil disobedience. As theories and concepts identity, gender and civil disobedience all share a common quality, in that they are often co dependant in order to be effective as well as being a seemingly paradoxical solution to themselves. Whilst all three concepts seek equality; identity is formed through segregation, gender is defined by its separation and civil disobedience can only exist with minority protesting the majority. In addition to this incongruence, comprised with all acts of politics in accordance to these concepts, ego and prejudice will always effect the individual, creating bias within these social groups, making the topics insolvably disputed for the future. References Heyes, C. (2016) Identity politics. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-politics/ (Accessed: 19 January 2017). Concept of collective identity (2015) Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/politics/concept-of-collective-identity.php (Accessed: 19 January 2017). Todd, D. (2013) Douglas Todd: The pros and cons of identity politics. Available at: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Douglas+Todd+pros+cons+identity+politics/8235119/story.html (Accessed: 19 January 2017). David (no date) Www.Theory.Org.Uk resources: Judith Butler. Available at: http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-butl.htm (Accessed: 19 January 2017). Dictionary (1300) The definition of gender, in Available at: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/gender (Accessed: 19 January 2017). Mikkola, M. (2016) Feminist perspectives on sex and gender. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-gender/#GenSocCon (Accessed: 19 January 2017). Brownlee, K. (2013) Civil disobedience. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/civil-disobedience/ (Accessed: 20 January 2017). LLC, S. (2016) Civil disobedience. Available at: http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/civildisobedience/section1.rhtml (Accessed: 20 January 2017). Henry David Thoreau (2017) Available at: http://izquotes.com/quote/394572 (Accessed: 20 January 2017). Fisher, M.F.M. (2013) Peaceful protest is much more effective than violence for toppling dictators. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/11/05/peaceful-protest-is-much-more-effective-than-violence-in-toppling-dictators/?utm_term=.85c428fbbc16 (Accessed: 20 January 2017). Help, H. (2016) In civil disobedience by Thoreau, on the eve of historic Dandi march by Gandhi, and long walk to freedom by Nelson Mandela, how is the.. Available at: https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/civil-disobedience-eve-historic-dandi-walk-freedom-748335 (Accessed: 20 January 2017).

planet x :: essays research papers

Did you know that PLANET X will pass through our solar system again in 2003 after approximately 3660 years of absence on its regular orbit? Like most people you probably do not know this. The knowledge has been kept away from the public for several reasons, one of which is to avoid causing panic among the world's population. #1 question -- Will you be in a safe area? Will you be ready or do you care for your loved ones lives? We live in a binary system. Our suns dark twin lies toward the Orion galaxy. Planet X is a rogue planet or brown dwarf star. X's orbit takes it back and forth between both suns. It takes approximately 3660 years for one orbit. X being a brown dwarf is very dense compared to a normal planet its same size. It's gravitational and magnetic pull on the planets it passes is so strong it disrupts their surfaces. The molten liquid mainly iron ore core of Earth aligns quickly to X as it passes. The crust or surface resists somewhat. Earths crust separates with its liquid core and causes a physical pole shift. The new poles end up in completely different areas of the globe. Mega world wide earthquakes, hurricanes and tidal waves result in a changed world. Water is the most dangerous part of the situation. Known earthquake zones where the plates meet will let loose. Land masses will rise and fall. The archeological evidence of this happening on a regular basis to Earth coinciding to X's orbit is overwhelming. There is also clear evidence translated from several ancient cultures that give detailed references to Planet X and all of our planets in our immediate solar system. The controllers of Earths economies and media are fully aware, prepared enough for themselves only and not allowing this out through the major media. A collapse of the stock and financial markets along with panic would issue if they did. You've no doubt read the intuitive that have delicately been trying to warn the masses. I give you all the facts and reasons behind the events in a very indelicate, open, honest straight forward manner. The media boys have already cried wolf with Y2k and a simple planetary alignment that never caused any disruptions before. Now the wolf of Planet X is at our door and you are getting the silent treatment. planet x :: essays research papers Did you know that PLANET X will pass through our solar system again in 2003 after approximately 3660 years of absence on its regular orbit? Like most people you probably do not know this. The knowledge has been kept away from the public for several reasons, one of which is to avoid causing panic among the world's population. #1 question -- Will you be in a safe area? Will you be ready or do you care for your loved ones lives? We live in a binary system. Our suns dark twin lies toward the Orion galaxy. Planet X is a rogue planet or brown dwarf star. X's orbit takes it back and forth between both suns. It takes approximately 3660 years for one orbit. X being a brown dwarf is very dense compared to a normal planet its same size. It's gravitational and magnetic pull on the planets it passes is so strong it disrupts their surfaces. The molten liquid mainly iron ore core of Earth aligns quickly to X as it passes. The crust or surface resists somewhat. Earths crust separates with its liquid core and causes a physical pole shift. The new poles end up in completely different areas of the globe. Mega world wide earthquakes, hurricanes and tidal waves result in a changed world. Water is the most dangerous part of the situation. Known earthquake zones where the plates meet will let loose. Land masses will rise and fall. The archeological evidence of this happening on a regular basis to Earth coinciding to X's orbit is overwhelming. There is also clear evidence translated from several ancient cultures that give detailed references to Planet X and all of our planets in our immediate solar system. The controllers of Earths economies and media are fully aware, prepared enough for themselves only and not allowing this out through the major media. A collapse of the stock and financial markets along with panic would issue if they did. You've no doubt read the intuitive that have delicately been trying to warn the masses. I give you all the facts and reasons behind the events in a very indelicate, open, honest straight forward manner. The media boys have already cried wolf with Y2k and a simple planetary alignment that never caused any disruptions before. Now the wolf of Planet X is at our door and you are getting the silent treatment.

Author Eudora Welty Describes Unjust Treatment of African American Wome

Author Eudora Welty Describes Unjust Treatment of African American Women On the fifteenth of September 1963, a white man was seen setting a box beneath the steps of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The contents of the box: 122 sticks of dynamite. Minutes later, the makeshift bomb exploded, killing four young African American girls and injuring twenty-three other people. The white man, Robert Chambliss, paid a one hundred dollar fine for possessing dynamite without a permit. He was found not guilty of murder, and the case was added to a long list of "unsolved" bombings, police killings, and other acts of violence against the African American community. This was the world in which Eudora Welty wrote. A native of the South, Welty witnessed racism and anti-Black violence-such as the infamous Birmingham Bombing-first hand. She saw the innocent injured and slain because of the color of their skin. She watched as Black men struggled and finally gained equality -and as Black women failed to be equal within the walls of their own homes. And was Eudora Welty silent? Or did she speak out against these wrongs? Critics accused Welty of ignoring politics in her work. "Some have questioned her ... failure to lobby for the rights of blacks" (Ealy). However, Welty's portrayal of African American women in her stories highlights her belief that they were trapped in a world of injustice-a society controlled by whites and a culture dominated by men. Eudora Welty speaks through two characters, Phoenix and Livvie, and their dealings with different types of authority. Welty emphasizes the hopeless situation of African American women through her characters' encounters with the authority of nature. She creates a wor... ...ld. Eudora Welty was not silent when it came to social issues. In her own, sometimes-quiet ways, she fought discrimination and racism and inequality. She voiced her opinions and beliefs. Her stories can speak loudly of the injustices of a tainted society, but these protests are only heard by those who immerse themselves in her work, by those who reach beneath the surface to find the true meaning of the subtle events that comprise her stories. Works Cited 1. Ealy, Charles. "Eudora Welty Last Survivor of the Southern Renaissance." Dallas Morning News July 24, 2001. 2. Williams, Maxine. "Why Women's Liberation is Important to Black Women." The Millianton July 3, 1970. 3. Newman, Pamela. "Take a Good Look At Our Problems." The Millianton October 30, 1970. 4. Welty, Eudora. Thirteen Stories by Eudora Welty. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1965.

Google Inc. is an American multinational corporation Essay

These include search, cloud computing, software, and online advertising technologies. Most of its profits are derived from AdWords. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. Together they own about 16 percent of its shares. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. Its mission statement from the outset was â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful†, and its unofficial slogan was â€Å"Don’t be evil†. In 2006 Google moved to headquarters in Mountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex. Rapid growth since incorporation has triggered a chain of products, acquisitions and partnerships beyond Google’s core search engine. It offers online productivity software including email, an office suite, and social networking . Desktop products include applications for web browsing, organizing and editing photos, and instant messaging. The company leads the development of the Android mobile operating system and the browser-only Chrome OS for a netbook known as a Chromebook. Google has moved increasingly into communications hardware: it partners with major electronics manufacturers in production of its high-end Nexus devices and acquired Motorola Mobility in May 2012. In 2012, a fiber-optic infrastructure was installed in Kansas City to facilitate a Google Fiber broadband service. The corporation has been estimated to run more than one million servers in data centers around the world and to process over one billion search requests and about 24 petabytes of user-generated data each day. In December 2012 Alexa listed google.com as the most visited website in the world. Numerous Google sites in other languages figure in the top one hundred, as do several other Google-owned sites such as YouTube and Blogger. Its market dominance has led to criticism over issues including copyright, censorship, and privacy. History Google began in January 1996 as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were both PhD students at Stanford University in Stanford, California. While conventional search engines ranked results by counting how many times the search terms appeared on the page, the two theorized about a  better system that analyzed the relationships between websites. They called this new technology PageRank; it determined a website’s relevance by the number of pages, and the importance of those pages, that linked back to the original site. A small search engine called â€Å"RankDex† from IDD Information Services designed by Robin Li was, since 1996, already exploring a similar strategy for site-scoring and page ranking. The technology in RankDex would be patented and used later when Li founded Baidu in China. Page and Brin originally nicknamed their new search engine â€Å"BackRub†, because the system checked backlinks to estimate the importance of a site. Eventually, they changed the name to Google, originating from a misspelling of the word â€Å"googol†, the number one followed by one hundred zeros, which was picked to signify that the search engine was intended to provide large quantities of information. Originally, Google ran under Stanford University’s website, with the domains google.stanford.edu and z.stanford.edu. The domain name for Google was registered on September 15, 1997, and the company was incorporated on September 4, 1998. It was based in a friend’s . In January 2013, Google announced it had earned $50 billion in annual revenue for the year of 2012. This marked the first time the company had reached this feat, topping their 2011 total of $38 billion. Financing and initial public offering The first funding for Google was an August 1998 contribution of from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, given before Google was incorporated. Early in 1999, while graduate students, Brin and Page decided that the search engine they had developed was taking up too much time and distracting their academic pursuits. They went to Excite CEO George Bell and offered to sell it to him for $1 million. He rejected the offer and later criticized Vinod Khosla, one of Excite’s venture capitalists, after he negotiated Brin and Page down to $750,000. On June 7, 1999, a $25 million round of funding was announced, with major investors including the venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. The company offered 19,605,052 shares at a price of $85 per share. Shares were sold in an online auction format using a system built by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, underwriters for the deal. The sale of $1.67 billion gave Google a market capitalization of more than $23 billion. The vast majority  of the 271 million shares remained under the control of Google, and many Google employees became instant paper millionaires. Yahoo!, a competitor of Google, also benefited because it owned 8.4 million shares of Google before the IPO took place. There were concerns that Google’s IPO would lead to changes in company culture. Reasons ranged from shareholder pressure for employee benefit reductions to the fact that many company executives would become instant paper millionaires. As a reply to this concern, co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page promised in a report to potential investors that the IPO would not change the company’s culture. In 2005, articles in The New York Times and other sources began suggesting that Google had lost its anti-corporate, no evil philosophy. In an effort to maintain the company’s unique culture, Google designated a Chief Culture Officer, who also serves as the Director of Human Resources. The purpose of the Chief Culture Officer is to develop and maintain the culture and work on ways to keep true to the core values that the company was founded on: a flat organization with a collaborative environment. Google has also faced allegations of sexism and ageism from former employees. The stock performed well after the IPO, with shares hitting $700 for the first time on October 31, 2007, primarily because of strong sales and earnings in the online advertising market. The surge in stock price was fueled mainly by individual investors, as opposed to large institutional investors and mutual funds. The next year, against Page and Brin’s initial opposition toward an advertising-funded search engine, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords. When the company changed names to Overture Services, it sued Google over alleged infringements of the company’s pay-per-click and bidding patents. Overture Services would later be bought by Yahoo! and renamed Yahoo! Search Marketing. The case was then settled out of court; Google agreed to issue shares of common stock to Yahoo! in exchange for a perpetual license. In 2001, Google received a patent for its PageRank mechanism. The patent was officially assigned to Stanford University and lists Lawrence Page as the inventor. In 2003, after outgrowing two other locations, the company leased an office complex from Silicon Graphics at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California. The complex became known as the Googleplex, a play on the word googolplex, the number one followed by a googol zeroes. The Googleplex interiors were designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects. Three  years later, Google bought the property from SGI for $319 million. By that time, the name â€Å"Google† had found its way into everyday language, causing the verb â€Å"google† to be added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, denoted as â€Å"to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet.† 2013 onward Google announced the launch of a new company called Calico on September 19, 2013, which will be led by Apple chairman Arthur Levinson. In the official public statement, Page explained that the â€Å"health and wellbeing† company will focus on â€Å"the challenge of ageing and associated diseases†. As of September 2013, Google operates 70 offices in more than 40 countries. Google celebrated its 15-year anniversary on September 27, 2013, although it has used other dates for its official birthday. The reason for the choice of September 27 remains unclear, and a dispute with rival search engine Yahoo! Search in 2005 has been suggested as the cause. The Alliance for Affordable Internet was launched in October 2013 and Google is part of the coalition of public and private organisations that also includes Facebook, Intel and Microsoft. Led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the A4AI seeks to make Internet access more affordable so that access is broadened in the developing world, where only 31% of people are online. Google will help to decrease internet access prices so that they fall below the UN Broadband Commission’s worldwide target of 5% of monthly income. The corporation’s consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2013 is reported in mid-October 2013 as US$14.89 billion, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous quarter. Google’s Internet business was responsible for US$10.8 billion of this total, with an increase in the number of users’ clicks on advertisements. Acquisitions and partnerships Since 2001, Google has acquired many companies, primarily small venture capital-funded firms. In 2004, Google acquired Keyhole, Inc. The start-up company developed a product called Earth Viewer that gave a three-dimensional view of the Earth. Google renamed the service to Google Earth in 2005. Google acquired Urchin Software in April 2005, using their ‘Urchin on Demand’ product to create Google Analytics in 2006. In October 2006, Google announced that it had acquired the video-sharing site YouTube  for US$1.65 billion in Google stock, and the deal was finalized on November 13, 2006. Google does not provide detailed figures for YouTube’s running costs, and YouTube’s revenues in 2007 were noted as â€Å"not material† in a regulatory filing. In June 2008, a Forbes magazine article projected the 2008 YouTube revenue at US$200 million, noting progress in advertising sales. On April 13, 2007, Google reached an agreement to acquire DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, giving Google valuable relationships that DoubleClick had with Web publishers and advertising agencies. Later that same year, Google purchased GrandCentral for $50 million. The site would later be changed over to Google Voice. On August 5, 2009, Google bought out its first public company, purchasing video software maker On2 Technologies for $106.5 million. Google also acquired Aardvark, a social network search engine, for $50 million, and commented on its internal blog, â€Å"we’re looking forward to collaborating to see where we can take it†. In April 2010, Google announced it had acquired a hardware startup, Agnilux. In addition to the many companies Google has purchased, the company has partnered with other organizations for research, advertising, and other activities. In 2005, Google partnered with NASA Ames Research Center to build of offices. The offices would be used for research projects involving large-scale data management, nanotechnology, distributed computing, and the entrepreneurial space industry. Google entered into a partnership with Sun Microsystems in October 2005 to help share and distribute each other’s technologies. The company also partnered with AOL to enhance each other’s video search services. Google’s 2005 partnerships also included financing the new .mobi top-level domain for mobile devices, along with other companies including Microsoft, Nokia, and Ericsson. Google would later launch â€Å"AdSense for Mobile†, taking advantage of the emerging mobile advertising market. Increasing its advertising reach even further, Google and Fox Interactive Media of News Corporation entered into a $900 million agreement to provide search and advertising on the then-popular social networking site MySpace. In 2007, Google began sponsoring NORAD Tracks Santa, displacing former sponsor AOL. NORAD Tracks Santa purports to follow Santa Claus’ progress on Christmas Eve, using Google Earth to â€Å"track Santa† in 3-D for the first time. Google-owned YouTube gave NORAD Tracks Santa its own channel. In 2008, Google developed a partnership with GeoEye to launch a satellite providing  Google with high-resolution imagery for Google Earth. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 6, 2008. Google also announced in 2008 that it was hosting an archive of Life Magazine’s photographs. Some of the images in the archive were never published in the magazine. The photos were watermarked and originally had copyright notices posted on all photos, regardless of public domain status. In 2010, Google Energy made its first investment in a renewable energy project, putting $38.8 million into two wind farms in North Dakota. The company announced the two locations will generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 55,000 homes. The farms, which were developed by NextEra Energy Resources, will reduce fossil fuel use in the region and return profits. NextEra Energy Resources sold Google a twenty-percent stake in the project to get funding for its development. In February 2010, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC granted Google an authorization to buy and sell energy at market rates. The order specifically states that Google Energy—a subsidiary of Google—holds the rights â€Å"for the sale of energy, capacity, and ancillary services at market-based rates†, but acknowledges that neither Google Energy nor its affiliates â€Å"own or control any generation or transmission† facilities. The corporation exercised this authorization in September 2013 when it announced that it will purchase all of the electricity produced by the not-yet-built 240-megawatt Happy Hereford wind farm. Also in 2010, Google purchased Global IP Solutions, a Norway-based company that provides web-based teleconferencing and other related services. This acquisition enabled Google to add telephone-style services to its list of products. On May 27, 2010, Google announced it had also closed the acquisition of the mobile ad network AdMob. This occurred days after the Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation into the purchase. Google acquired the company for an undisclosed amount. In July 2010, Google signed an agreement with an Iowa wind farm to buy 114 megawatts of energy for 20 years. On April 4, 2011, The Globe and Mail reported that Google bid $900 million for six thousand Nortel Networks patents. On August 15, 2011, Google made its largest-ever acquisition to-date when announced that it would acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion subject to approval from regulators in the United States and Europe. In a post on Google’s blog, Google Chief Executive and co-founder Larry Page revealed that the acquisition was a  strategic move to strengthen Google’s patent portfolio. The company’s Android operating system has come under fire in an industry-wide patent battle, as Apple and Microsoft have sued Android device makers such as HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. The merger was completed on the May 22, 2012, after the approval of People’s Republic of China. This purchase was made in part to help Google gain Motorola’s considerable patent portfolio on mobile phones and wireless technologies to help protect it in its ongoing patent disputes with other companies, mainly Apple and Microsoft After the acquisition closed, Google began to restructure the Motorola business to fit Google’s strategy. On August 13, 2012, Google announced plans to layoff 4000 Motorola Mobility employees. On December 10, 2012, Google sold the manufacturing operations of Motorola Mobility to Flextronics for $75 million. As a part of the agreement, Flextronics will manufacture undisclosed Android and other mobile devices. On December 19, 2012, Google sold the Motorola Home business division of Motorola Mobility to Arris Group for $2.35 billion in a cash-and-stock transaction. As a part of this deal, Google acquired a 15.7% stake in Arris Group valued at $300 million. On June 5, 2012, Google announced it acquired Quickoffice, a company widely known for their mobile productivity suite for both iOS and Android. Google plans to integrate Quickoffice’s technology into its own product suite. On February 6, 2013, Google announced it had acquired Channel Intelligence for $125 million. Channel Intelligence, a technology company that helps customers buy products online, is active globally in 31 different countries and works with over 850 retailers. Google will use this technology to enhance its e-commerce business. The official confirmation of Google’s acquisition of the Israel-based startup Waze occurred in June 2013. Waze is promoted as a â€Å"community-based traffic and navigation app†. Following the acquisition of Waze, Google submitted a â€Å"10-Q† filing with the Securities Exchange Commission that revealed that the corporation spent US$1.3 billion on acquisitions during the first half of 2013. The filing also revealed that the Waze acquisition cost Google US$966 million, instead of the US$1.1 billion figure that was initially presented in media sources. The 2012 acquisition of WIMM Labs, a company that previously made an Android-powered smartwatch, was confirmed in August 2013. As of August 31, 2013, Google has not publicly commented on the news concerning WIMM Labs. The acquisition of  Flutter, a creator of hand gesture recognition technology, was confirmed by the corporation in early October 2013. The reported price is US$40 million and Google spokesperson stated: â€Å"We’re really impressed by the Flutter team’s ability to design new technology based on cutting-edge research.† Flutter’s technology allows users to enact hand gestures to control navigation for apps such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and Winamp. Google data centers As of 2011, Google Inc. owned and operated six data centers across the U.S., plus one in Finland and another in Belgium. On September 28, 2011, the company announced plans to build three data centers at a cost of more than $200 million in Asia and purchased the land for them. Google said they will be operational within two years. Products and services Advertising For the 2006 fiscal year, the company reported $10.492 billion in total advertising revenues and only $112 million in licensing and other revenues. In 2011, 96% of Google’s revenue was derived from its advertising programs. Using technology from the company DoubleClick, Google can determine user interests and target advertisements so they are relevant to their context and the user that is viewing them. Google Analytics allows website owners to track where and how people use their website, for example by examining click rates for all the links on a page. Google advertisements can be placed on third-party websites in a two-part program. Google’s AdWords allows advertisers to display their advertisements in the Google content network, through either a cost-per-click or cost-per-view scheme. The sister service, Google AdSense, allows website owners to display these advertisements on their website and earn money every time ads are clicked. One of the criticisms of this program is the possibility of click fraud, which occurs when a person or automated script clicks on advertisements without being interested in the product, causing the advertiser to pay money to Google unduly. Industry reports in 2006 claimed that approximately 14 to 20 percent of clicks were fraudulent or invalid. In February 2003, Google stopped showing the advertisements of Oceana, a non-profit organization protesting a major cruise ship’s sewage treatment practices. Google cited its editorialpolicy at the time, stating â€Å"Google does not accept advertising if the ad or site advocates against other individuals, groups, or organizations.† The policy was later changed. In June 2008, Google reached an advertising agreement with Yahoo!, which would have allowed Yahoo! to feature Google advertisements on its web pages. The alliance between the two companies was never completely realized because of antitrust concerns by the U.S. Department of Justice. As a result, Google pulled out of the deal in November 2008. In an attempt to advertise its own products, Google launched a website called Demo Slam, developed to demonstrate technology demos of Google Products. Search engine According to market research published by comScore in November 2009, Google Search is the dominant search engine in the United States market, with a market share of 65.6%. Google indexes billions of web pages, so that users can search for the information they desire through the use of keywords and operators. In 2003, The New York Times complained about Google’s indexing, claiming that Google’s caching of content on its site infringed its copyright for the content. In this case, the United States District Court of Nevada ruled in favor of Google in Field v. Google and Parker v. Google. The publication 2600: The Hacker Quarterly has compiled a list of words that the web giant’s new instant search feature will not search. Google Watch has criticized Google’s PageRank algorithms, saying that they discriminate against new websites and favor established sites. The site has also alleged that there are connections between Google and the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. Google also hosts Google Books. The company began scanning books and uploading limited previews, and full books where allowed, into its new book search engine. The Authors Guild, a group that represents 8,000 U.S. authors, filed a class action suit in a New York City federal court against Google in 2005 over this service. Google replied that it is in compliance with all existing and historical applications of copyright laws regarding books. Google eventually reached a revised settlement in 2009 to limit its scans to books from the U.S., the UK, Australia, and Canada. Furthermore, the Paris Civil Court ruled against Google in late 2009, asking it to remove the works of La Martinià ¨re from its database. In competition with Amazon.com, Google sells digital versions  of new books. On July 21, 2010, in response to Bing, Google updated its image search to display a streaming sequence of thumbnails that enlarge when pointed at. Though web searches still appear in a batch per page format, on July 23, 2010, dictionary definitions for certain English words began appearing above the linked results for web searches. The â€Å"Hummingbird† update to the Google search engine was announced in September 2013. The update was introduced over the month prior to the announcement and allows users ask the search engine a question in natural language rather than entering keywords into the search box. Productivity tools Gmail, a free webmail service provided by Google, was launched as an invitation-only beta program on April 1, 2004, The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, at which time it had 146 million users monthly. The service was the first online email service with one gigabyte of storage. It was also the first to keep emails from the same conversation together in one thread, similar to an Internet forum. The service offers over 15 GB of free storage, shared with other Google Apps, with additional storage ranging from 20 GB to 16 TB available for per 1 GB per year. Gmail uses AJAX, a programming technique that allows web pages to be interactive without refreshing the browser. Steve Ballmer, Liz Figueroa, Mark Rasch, and the editors of Google Watch have criticised the privacy of Gmail, but Google claims that mail sent to or from Gmail is never read by a human being beyond the account holder and is only used to improve relevance of advertisements. In 2004, Google started opensource software project hosting, called Google Code, which allows developers to download incomplete programs at no charge. Google Docs, another part of Google’s productivity suite, allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on documents in an online environment, similar to Microsoft Word. The service was originally called Writely, but was obtained by Google on March 9, 2006, and was released as an invitation-only preview. On June 6 after the acquisition, Google created an experimental spreadsheet editing program, which was combined with Google Docs on October 10. Enterprise products Google Search Appliance was launched in February 2002, targeted toward providing search technology for larger organizations. Google Apps allows  organizations to bring Google’s web application offerings, such as Gmail and Google Docs, into their own domains. The service is available in several editions: a basic free edition, Google Apps for Business, Google Apps for Education, and Google Apps for Government. In the same year Google Apps was launched, Google acquired Postini and proceeded to integrate the company’s security technologies into Google Apps under the name Google Postini Services. Other products Google Translate is a server-side machine translation service, which can translate between 35 different languages. The software uses corpus linguistics techniques, where the program â€Å"learns† from professionally translated documents, specifically UN and European Parliament proceedings. Google launched its Google News service in 2002, an automated service which summarizes news articles from various websites. In March 2005, Agence France Presse sued Google for copyright infringement in federal court in the District of Columbia, a case which Google settled for an undisclosed amount in a pact that included a license of the full text of AFP articles for use on Google News. In 2006, Google made a bid to offer free wireless broadband access throughout the city of San Francisco along with Internet service provider EarthLink. Large telecommunications companies such as Comcast and Verizon opposed the efforts, claiming it was â€Å"unfair competition† and that cities would be violating their commitments to offer local monopolies to these companies. In his testimony before Congress on network neutrality in 2006, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf blamed the tactics on the fact that nearly half of all consumers lack choice in broadband providers. Google currently offers free wi-fi access in its hometown of Mountain View, California. In 2010, Google announced the Google Fiber project with plans to build an ultra-high-speed broadband network for 50,000 to 500,000 customers in one or more American cities. On March 30, 2011, Google announced that Kansas City, Kansas would be the first community where the new network would be deployed. In July 2012, Google completed the construction of a fiber-optic broadband internet network infrastructure in Kansas City, and after building an infrastructure, Google announced pricing for Google Fiber. The service will offer three options including a free broadband internet option, a 1Gbit/s internet option for $70 per month, and a version that  includes television service for $120 per month. The project, called Android, turned out not to be a phone but an operating system for mobile devices, which Google acquired and then released as an open source project under the Apache 2.0 license. Google provides a software development kit for developers so applications can be created to be run on Android-based phones. In September 2008, T-Mobile released the G1, the first Android-based phone. On January 5, 2010, Google released an Android phone under its own company name called the Nexus One. A report in July 2013 stated that Google’s share of the global smartphone market, led by Samsung products, was 64% in March 2013. Other projects Google has worked on include a new collaborative communication service, a web browser, and a mobile operating system. The first of these was first announced on May 27, 2009. The company described Google Wave as a product that helps users communicate and collaborate on the web. The service is Google’s â€Å"email redesigned†, with realtime editing, the ability to embed audio, video, and other media, and extensions that further enhance the communication experience. Google Wave was initially in a developer’s preview, where interested users had to be invited to test the service, but was released to the general public on May 19, 2010, at Google’s I/O keynote. On September 1, 2008, Google pre-announced the upcoming availability of Google Chrome, an open source web browser, which was then released on September 2, 2008. On July 7, 2009, Google announced Google Chrome OS, an open source Linux-based operating system that includes only a web browser and is designed to log users into their Google account. Google Goggles is a mobile application available on Android and iOS used for image recognition and non-text-based search. In addition to scanning QR codes, the app can recognize historic landmarks, import business cards, and solve Sudoku puzzles. While Goggles could originally identify people as well, Google has limited that functionality as a privacy protection. In 2011, Google announced Google Wallet, a mobile application for wireless payments. In late June 2011, Google soft-launched a social networking service called Google+. On July 14, 2011, Google announced that Google+ had reached 10 million users just two weeks after it was launched in this â€Å"limited† trial phase. After four weeks in operation, it reached 25 million users. At a launch event on July 24, 2013 in San Francisco, U.S., a newer version of the Nexus 7 Google tablet device was released to the public, alongside the  Chromecast dongle that allows users to stream YouTube and Netflix videos via smartphones. In 2013 Google launched Google Shopping Express, a delivery service initially available only in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Moto X  Speaking at the D11 conference in Palos Verdes, U.S. in late May 2013, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, a former Google employee, announced that a new mobile device will be built by his company, which is wholly owned by Google, at a 500,000 square-feet facility in Texas, U.S. formerly used by the Nokia company. The facility will employ 2,000 people by August 2013 and the new phone, named the â€Å"Moto X†, will be available to the public in October 2013. The Moto X features Google Now software, and an array of sensors and two microprocessors that will mean that users can â€Å"interact with in very different ways than you can with other devices,† in the words of Woodside. Media reports suggest that the phone will be able to activate functions preemptively based on an â€Å"awareness† of what the user is doing at any given moment. Corporate affairs and culture On Fortune magazine’s list of best companies to work for, Google ranked first in 2007, 2008 and 2012 and fourth in 2009 and 2010. Google was also nominated in 2010 to be the world’s most attractive employer to graduating students in the Universum Communications talent attraction index. Google’s corporate philosophy includes principles such as â€Å"you can make money without doing evil,† â€Å"you can be serious without a suit,† and â€Å"work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun.† Employees After the company’s IPO, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt requested that their base salary be cut to $1. Subsequent offers by the company to increase their salaries have been turned down, primarily because their main compensation continues to come from owning stock in Google. Before 2004, Schmidt made $250,000 per year, and Page and Brin each received an annual salary of $150,000. In 2007 and early 2008, several top executives left Google. In October 2007, former chief financial officer of YouTube Gideon Yu joined Facebook along with Benjamin Ling, a high-ranking engineer. In March 2008, Sheryl Sandberg, then vice-president of global online sales and operations, began her position as chief operating officer  of Facebook. At the same time, Ash ElDifrawi, formerly head of brand advertising, left to become chief marketing officer of Netshops. On April 4, 2011, Larry Page became CEO and Eric Schmidt became Executive Chairman of Google. In July 2012, Google’s first female employee, Marissa Mayer, left Google to become Yahoo!’s CEO. As a motivation technique, Google uses a policy often called Innovation Time Off, where Google engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their work time on projects that interest them. Some of Google’s newer services, such as Gmail, Google News, Orkut, and AdSense originated from these independent endeavors. In a talk at Stanford University, Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Search Products and User Experience until July 2012, showed that half of all new product launches at the time had originated from the Innovation Time Off. Googleplex  Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, is referred to as â€Å"the Googleplex†, a play on words on the number googolplex and the headquarters itself being a complex of buildings. The lobby is decorated with a piano, lava lamps, old server clusters, and a projection of search queries on the wall. The hallways are full of exercise balls and bicycles. Each employee has access to the corporate recreation center. Recreational amenities are scattered throughout the campus and include a workout room with weights and rowing machines, locker rooms, washers and dryers, a massage room, assorted video games, table football, a baby grand piano, a billiard table, and ping pong. In addition to the recreation room, there are snack rooms stocked with various foods and drinks, with special emphasis placed on nutrition. Free food is available to employees 24/7, with paid vending machines prorated favoring nutritional value. In 2006, Google moved into of office space in New York City, at 111 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. The office was specially designed and built for Google and houses its largest advertising sales team, which has been instrumental in securing large partnerships. As of February 2012, a significant engineering team is based in New York City, and has been responsible for more than 100 engineering projects, including Google Maps, Google Spreadsheets. As of September 2013, Google’s East Coast office is located at 76 Ninth Ave, New York City, New York. In November 2006, Google opened offices on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh, focusing on shopping-related advertisement coding and smartphone applications and  programs. By late 2006, Google also established a new headquarters for its AdWords division in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Other office locations in the U.S. include Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York City; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Reston, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Furthermore, Google has several international offices. In October 2006, the company announced plans to install thousands of solar panels to provide up to 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to satisfy approximately 30% of the campus’ energy needs. The system will be the largest solar power system constructed on a U.S. corporate campus and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world. The idea of trimming lawns using goats originated from R. J. Widlar, an engineer who worked for National Semiconductor. Google has faced accusations in Harper’s Magazine of being an â€Å"energy glutton†. The company was accused of employing its â€Å"Don’t be evil† motto and its public energy-saving campaigns to cover up or make up for the massive amounts of energy its servers require. Easter eggs and April Fools’ Day jokes Google has a tradition of creating April Fools’ Day jokes. On April 1, 2000, Google MentalPlex allegedly featured the use of mental power to search the web. In 2007, Google announced a free Internet service called TiSP, or Toilet Internet Service Provider, where one obtained a connection by flushing one end of a fiber-optic cable down their toilet. Also in 2007, Google’s Gmail page displayed an announcement for Gmail Paper, allowing users to have email messages printed and shipped to them. In 2008, Google announced Gmail Custom time where users could change the time that the email was sent. In 2010, Google changed its company name to Topeka in honor of Topeka, Kansas, whose mayor changed the city’s name to Google for a short amount of time in an attempt to sway Google’s decision in its new Google Fiber Project. In 2011, Google announced Gmail Motion, an interactive way of controlling Gmail and the computer with body movements via the user’s webcam. Google’s services contain easter eggs, such as the Swedish Chef’s â€Å"Bork bork bork,† Pig Latin, â€Å"Hacker† or leetspeak, Elmer Fudd, Pirate, and Klingon as language selections for its search engine. The search engine calculator provides the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the  Universe, and Everything from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. When searching the word â€Å"recursion†, the spell-checker’s result for the properly spelled word is exactly the same word, creating a recursive link. When searching for the word â€Å"anagram,† meaning a rearrangement of letters from one word to form other valid words, Google’s suggestion feature displays â€Å"Did you mean: nag a ram?† In Google Maps, searching for directions between places separated by large bodies of water, such as Los Angeles and Tokyo, results in instructions to â€Å"kayak across the Pacific Ocean.† During FIFA World Cup 2010, search queries including â€Å"World Cup† and â€Å"FIFA† caused the â€Å"Goooo†¦gle† page indicator at the bottom of every result page to read â€Å"Goooo†¦al!† instead. Philanthropy In 2004, Google formed the not-for-profit philanthropic Google.org, with a start-up fund of $1 billion. The mission of the organization is to create awareness about climate change, global public health, and global poverty. One of its first projects was to develop a viable plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can attain 100 miles per gallon. Google hired Larry Brilliant as the program’s executive director in 2004, and the current director is Megan Smith. In 2008 Google announced its â€Å"project 10100† which accepted ideas for how to help the community and then allowed Google users to vote on their favorites. After two years of silence, during which many wondered what had happened to the program, Google revealed the winners of the project, giving a total of ten million dollars to various ideas ranging from non-profit organizations that promote education to a website that intends to make all legal documents public and online. In 2011, Google donated 1 million euros to International Mathematical Olympiad to support the next five annual International Mathematical Olympiads . On July 2012, Google launched a â€Å"Legalize Love† campaign in support of gay rights. Tax avoidance   Google uses various tax avoidance strategies. Out of the five largest American technology companies it pays the lowest taxes to the countries of origin of its revenues. The company accomplishes this partly by licensing technology through subsidiaries in Ireland, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Netherlands. This has reportedly sparked a French investigation into Google’s transfer pricing practices. Following criticism of the amount of  corporate taxes that Google paid in the United Kingdom, Chairman Eric Schmidt said, â€Å"It’s called capitalism. We are proudly capitalistic.† During the same December 2012 interview Schmidt â€Å"confirmed that the company had no intention of paying more to the UK exchequer.† In 2013, Schmidt responded to questions about taxes paid in the UK by pointing to the advertising fees Google charged UK companies as a source of economic growth. Google Vice president Matt Brittin testified to the Public Accounts Committee of the UK house of commons that his UK sales team made no sales and hence owed no sales taxes to the UK. Environment Since 2007, Google has aimed for carbon neutrality in regard to its operations. In June 2013, the Washington Post reported that Google had donated US$50,000 to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank. In July 2013, it was reported that Google had hosted a fundraising event for Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who has called climate change a â€Å"hoax†. See also Comparison of web search engines Criticism of Google Don’t Be Evil Google Google Balloon Internet Google Catalogs Google China Google Chrome Experiments Google logo Google platform Google Ventures – venture capital fund Google X Google+ Googlebot – web crawler Googlization List of Google domains List of mergers and acquisitions by Google Ungoogleable References External links not add links –> at the Internet Archive at Hoover’s Bibliography: Wikipedia