Migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Migration - Essay Example Immigration to the developed countries from the developing countries is a phenomenon that has deep impact over the lives of millions. The making of industrial revolution sparked a major twist in the labor distribution across the world. Although nation states are supposed to be homogeneous communities based on shared culture, identity, language, and ethnicity and so on, it does not hold true of all the countries, especially the countries that are favorite destinations of the immigrants. From its very inception, the United States has been overwhelmed by immigration from across the world. However, the issues pertinent to immigration to the United States in twenty first century are radically different from those of in the preceding centuries. There are a number of issues such as shifts in demographic patterns, lopsided economic effects, the rights of women and children, substance use, health care and public funds covered under the umbrella topic of immigration. Second generation allegian ce, citizenship and political assimilation, race and ethnicity, residential patterns, engaging in unauthorized employment too have been the ingredients of the immigration debate in the United States for last two-three decades. Since the issues to immigration are multidimensional, there needs to be a multidimensional policy framework to address the wide-ranging issues without losing their complexity. Illegal immigration to the United States involves an array of practices and techniques such as illegal entry, visa overstay and false representation. Amnesty has been contested idea as of there is no agreement on whether it is helpful to mitigate the grievances originating from illegal migration. Illegal migration also poses threat to social security, national security and the rule of law. Rightly or wrongly, aspects such as financial impacts, cultural mutations, labor disturbances, demographic changes, and transnational ties have been considered as the central issues of immigration.

Comprehensive Analysis Outline and Presentation Essay

Comprehensive Analysis Outline and Presentation - Essay Example It is much to the favor of Wine Selling Place to choose this particular region of the country due to the limited business restrictions here and to ensure that the organization can expand or improve distribution with limited governmental regulation and influence. There are over 60 million potential customers in Italy, a nation that is well-known for its diverse tastes and preference for wine as a household beverage. The country is currently experiencing a 1.3 percent growth rate in GDP, suggesting that this particular nation in Europe has overcome some of the economic troubles currently plaguing many European nations. Inflation is a moderate 1.6 percent, much lower than many other industrialized nations. This provides opportunities to cater the business’ wine products to those with moderate household incomes that can afford high quality or even lower cost wine without concern over lack of disposable income due to increasing economic restraints related to inflationary environments. As with most companies, the first method of procuring finance is to assess the viability of banking loans. Italy maintains many different banks that are regulated by EU finance ministers and those that have well-respected international reputations (i.e. Barclay’s, etc). Financing can be achieved through the production of a detailed, well-researched business plan and then presented to banking representatives for approval based on credit worthiness and future strategic business planning. Additional funding sources include the local Chamber of Commerce, financial institutions associated with the European Union, reimbursable grants from various agencies designed to foster growth in small businesses, and even subsidies. Seeing that Italy is highly involved with the World Trade Organization and also promotes small business growth through

Bullying and Harrasment in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Bullying and Harrasment in the Workplace Essay In hard times people tend more to be willing to find out why things aren’t working and so a growing awareness of satisfying employees lead to a more detailed picture of bullying in the workplace. Due to great changes in hotel and hospitality industry caused by the economic crisis and its cumulative effects on the behaviour of managers as well as on employees, volition emerged to do more against bullying in the workplace. This paper critically analyzes the reason for the occurrence of bullying and gives impacts on relationship between bullying, work and health. Furthermore it shows emerging problems for the hotel and hospitality industry and gives advice to find appropriate solutions to provide a bullying-free working place. Several published definitions of bullying make it hard to find the genuine meaning of it. According to the Department of Education? s article, published on their homepage www. education. gov. k in October 2010, bullying can be defined as â€Å"Behaviour by an individual or group usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically, emotionally or mentally†. This definition is accepted and used by various organisations in the UK for anti-bullying publications and treatment policies. Unfortunately this definition covers an array of bullying types, so Zapf D. (1996) categorised five types of bullying behaviour in the workplace to get a closer look on what bullying really is. They are work-related bullying which may include changing your work tasks or making them difficult to perform, social isolation, personal attacks or attacks on your private life by ridicule, insulting remarks, gossip or the like, verbal threats where you are criticised, yelled at or humiliated in public and physical violence or threats of such violence. Referring to those statements it is possible to critically analyze bullying by keeping in mind the definition in relationship with Zapf? s five types of bullying. Nowadays it is well-known that bullying is common in almost every Industry whether in small businesses or international companies. Especially in tourism-related businesses like hotel and hospitality industry, bullying causes capacious damage in different dimensions concerning areas like staff turnover and revenue but also number of staff away sick and motivation of employees. To avoid long-term impacts of harassment, bullying or mobbing has to be nipped in the bud according to Dolan C. (2010):1 who said that â€Å"Bullying can? survive in workplaces that won? t support it. † To provide such a workplace, is today? s great challenge for managers. Generally reasons for bullying are minor problems which aren’t obviously inflicting damage to somebody like discontent about matters, problems in private live, unintended aspersions compared to a co-worker or sometimes a harsh tone in stressful situations. In Hotel and Hospitality industry the constant contact with different people, whether new staff members or guests, provides an excellent breeding ground for such problems. It could be an annoying guest, a challenging situation or an excessive period of work strain which gets people to offend a colleague. All these minor incidents are harmful for working climate and interpersonal relationships in long-term. These problems could be categorised, in alleviated acceptation, into different types of physically and psychologically violence, referring to Fineman S. (2003), who splits workplace violence into intrusive, consumer-related and organizational violence. Intrusive violence rarely occurs in hotel and hospitality industry but is not entirely excluded. On August 21, 2010 the Intercontinental hotel in Rio de Janeiro was scene of a taking of hostages. 10 employees of the hotel were restraint for several hours until they have been released, after the police took some action towards the criminals. Attacks by terrorists against hotels and employees infrequently take place in most countries, but witnessing crime related situations could be an immense strain. A more eminent factor in tourism-related businesses is consumer related violence. Demands of customers which couldn? always be measured, are causing complaints about e. g. delays or bad handling. Especially front office employees have to deal with enormous pressure by being consistently confronted with complaints, and personal affronts from customers. Furthermore Fineman S. (2003):164 describes the occurrence of organizational violence in the workplace as a failing in the ethnically opinions of entrepreneur and characterizes this form of bullying as follows, â€Å"It translates into practices that systematically cause danger, risk or exploitation to employees. Emotionally, the employer can feel indifferent, even derisory about its workers and their psychological or physical well-being: ‘there are always more out there’. The worker may feel equally indifferent but trapped in the job. † Actually frequent occurrence of such, as in the majority of cases irrelevant sensed incidents, leads to a growth of troubles and personal antipathy against fellow-workers and employers is growing until the straw that breaks the camel? s back and physically or psychological damages are the immediate consequences. As has been proved in an array of researches by organisations dealing with the problems of bullying and harassment in the workplace, like ACAS, bullying affects a company in a tremendous variety of ways. Hotel and Hospitality industry is a very people-intensive branch primarily composed of small businesses. According to ACSA a main impact of bullying is the increase in rates of absence, especially concerning small firms where cover for sick employees is difficult to arrange. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Europe’s largest HR and development professional body, releases every year a survey report pointing out the consequences of days of absence. In 2009 the average in days of absence, concerning all business sectors, was 7. 4 days per employee per year. The amount in hotel and hospitality sector was below average with 6. 0 days per employee per year but in comparison between hotel and hospitality and other businesses, the average annual costs of absence per employee per year are superior. Relating to the CIPD the average annual costs of absence per employee per year, enfolding all business-sectors, are 692 pounds. In this area hotel and hospitality businesses are the tragic top of the table with 1199 pounds per employee per year. The survey also shows that stress (often a result of bullying) is the major cause for long-term absence. Other consequences of bullying, described by ACAS, are poor morale and poor employee relations, loss of respect for managers and supervisors, poor performance, lost productivity, resignations, damage to company reputation and tribunal and other court cases and payment of unlimited compensations. Taking a closer look on stress it is to say that in hotel and hospitality industry it is a necessity for employees to know how to handle stress because there will always be periods of strain. The big problem in coping stress is that no two people respond to the same stressor in the same way and this is the perfect point where management should intervene. According to Stranks (2005) different strategies can be considered in dealing with work-related stress, first of all it is important recognizing the evidence of stress which could manifest in sickness, alcoholism or decreasing motivation. A second strategy is to prevent stress through e. g. personal stress audits for employees to identify causes of stress, to monitor stress levels and to report and discuss stressful elements of work to identify the measures necessary at organizational level to alleviate the problem. A third way is to give employees the opportunity to develop a personal stress-tackling technique by providing training and education. Stranks (2005):113 in this point said that employees need advice on identifying their own personal stress response and the measures necessary to coping with it. † Advice to handle stress could be found from organisations like Health and Safety Executive (HSE) releasing handbooks for employees (2003, Tackling Work-Related Stress: A Guide for Employees) as well as for managers (2001, Tackling Work-Related Stress: A Manager’s Guide to improving and Maintaining Employee Health and Well-being). These strategies work very well as reported in many case studies e. g. on United Biscuits by HSE in 2007. The case study points out that United Biscuits benefited from taking action against stress in many ways. From 2005 to 2007 reports of work related stress cases decreased from 24 to 6 per year. Furthermore HRS mentions that each case where absence is prevented, it is estimated the cost of 4 weeks wages and other associated costs is saved. As a matter of fact it is a necessity to override bullying and its consequences by management to keep costs low and protect employees from physical or psychological injuries caused by bullying. As mentioned in ‘bullying and harassment at work’, an advisory booklet publicised by ACAS, the first step to provide a bully-free working environment is to set up a formal policy including a statement of commitment from management and acknowledgement that bullying and harassment are problems for the organisation. The policy could also comprise a clear statement that bullying and harassment is unlawful, that it will not be tolerated, that it may be treated as disciplinary offences and that decisions should not be taken on the basis or whether someone submitted to or rejected a particular instance of harassment. Furthermore the policy is to comprehend steps the organisation takes to prevent bullying, responsibilities of supervisors and managers and confidentiality for any complainant. The policy should involve grievance, investigation and disciplinary procedures with timescales for action. Another point should deal with protection from victimisation and the importance and possibility of training for managers to avoid bullying. Involving staff into the process of developing such a policy will help achieving additional authority. Such a policy is supported by Stale Einarsen (1999):23 in the international journal of manpower who said â€Å"If not being permitted or supported by the people in power, a bully knows he/she may find him/herself the victim of aggressive counter-attacks and severe punishment. † In reference to ACAS the second step is to set a good example in behaviour, like discussing problems and consult employees instead of a too authoritarian management style. A current negative example for this point is the discussion about Gordon Brown? s abusive treatment of staff. The Guardian (21. 2. 2010) advertised that several employees from Downing Street No. 10 contacted the National Anti-bullying Helpline which raises discussions about Mr. Browns management style. Mr. Brown is being denoted as a bully by employees including assertions that he swore at staff, grabbed them by lapels and shouted at them. Third step to deal with bullying and harassment as a manager is to maintain fair procedures for dealing promptly with complaints from employees by using clear grievance and disciplinary procedure described in the Employment Relations Act 1999. Fourth step is to set clear standards of behaviour, to provide training and information about how to deal with bullying and to communicate the organisation? s views on it. Fifth, make clear that complaints will be dealt with fairly, confidentially and sensitively. By following these five steps of ACAS it is getting a lot easier to provide a good working climate and satisfy employees. In conclusion bullying is a problem affecting all businesses with different strength, in different ways and with different consequences, but the reason for occurrence of bullying is the one constant in all companies. It all starts with recurring minor problems that aren’t recognized until they grow big, so discussing problems and communicate them will help companies save money and satisfy employees. By using a metaphor to describe bullying, the strength in which bullying affects humans as well as companies could be expressed as follows A single thunderous gust could disroot trees, but a permanent breeze transforms mountains into grains of sand.

Managing Change A Case Study of Corus Strip Products UK

Managing Change A Case Study of Corus Strip Products UK Using suitable and significant models, theories and concepts, this report examines how the company Corus implemented a current change initiative at its sub-division (Corus Strip Products UK) in a reaction to the obvious threat of increased competition from new entrants in the steel industry. By considering the case study, this assignment uses the Gradualist Paradigm of change to discuss how barriers to change at CSP UK were overcome and how the measurement of outcomes of change influenced organisational transformation. This will be employed to confirm and critique any suggestion made to its executive relating to the sustainability of the business. INTRODUCTION Corus Strip Products UK (CSP UK) is a leading producer of strip steel valuable in various manufacturing and construction sectors. It aims to be a leader in steel industry, by providing better products, higher quality services, and better value for money than its rivals. It needs constant development of entire working environment and culture in order to meet its ambition for growth. In 2010, it published a case study (The Times 100 Business Case Study: Corus) that explains how barriers to change were overcome in its sub-division. CSP UK initiated the Journey program in 2005. The company sought to tackle an extensive variety of issues but was specific in its tasks and framework which centred on the values and beliefs of its people. Fundamentally, this needed a combined effort from stakeholders (employees, contractors, suppliers and other associates) uniting on a set of guiding principles (8) that will define the core of the business namely honesty, professionalism, integrity, respect, improvement, excellence, fairness and transparency. The objective of this assignment is to form the concepts of the methods of change and learning of key stakeholders in the case study, using appropriate and relevant models. The results will be used to justify and critique recommendations to the management for future initiatives to sustain development at Corus. MAIN CONTENT Drivers (reasons) for change Due to the dynamic and disordered nature of steel markets, change was unavoidable at CSP UK in other to retain its competitive advantages. Inefficiencies within the business at CSP UK led to delays and wastage in production. Exports of products from the UK were more expensive compared to other countries, reducing its competitive advantage. CSP UK had dedicated workforce but there was a lack of motivation by work situations and signs of poor health and safety culture. External drivers for change centred upon increase competition from new entrants in the steel industry especially from Eastern Europe and Far East. This had a negative effect on demand leading to higher cost of its products, reducing its attractiveness to potential customers. Also advances in technology resulted in customers wanting better products, leading Corus to focus on innovation. CSP UK had a poor public opinion regarding environmental issues and this contributed to changes within the firm informing its business strategy, policies and procedures of the future. Types of change In order to understand change processes at CSP UK over time, it is vital to look at how the organisation understood the change cycle (Tushman, 1970) and how environmental factors affected its strategic vision. Since the 1970s, there has been a gradual decline of old products with the emergence of new products needed to increase future prospects. The Journey program showed both incremental and transformational changes over its period of implementation. It built on high skill set of its stakeholders and focused on how to improve work systems adaptable to the demands of new markets. Its framework for cultural transformation was at an organisational level, focusing on developing new and dynamic set of values that is different from earlier times (Burnes 2009, in Hayes). Previous drives for change from the Corus case report, showed signs of programmatic or planned change occurring. Looking at Total Quality Management (TQMs) initiative as well as prior programs, there was a focus on work reprogramming which included rationalizing of costs leading to a downsized labour force (~ 13% of total costs). However, CSP UK is an organisation of highly skilled and dedicated people and for future prosperity, there has to be a greater focus on how systemic (e.g. job enhancement, people empowerment and team building) and organisation development (including training, education and indoctrination of cultural values) can effect growth and improvement of business. Barriers to Change The 1970s were characterised by job reductions, redundancies, and a shortage of apprenticeships leading to doubt in workforce regarding new initiatives (refraining forces). Furthermore, certain members of staff at CSP UK gradually became unconcerned to business initiatives as they and the business had survived earlier testing times. The fear of the unfamiliar led to anxiety about existing teams and positions; hence the management at CSP UK sought to clarify the collective interest of all. Corus is a reputable firm in a conventional industry showing rigidity in certain aspects of its business. It had difficulty in modifying certain business practices to take advantage of advances in technology. This is damaging to its growth prospect and weakens its drive for innovation that adds value to its products and services. Additionally, the personnel at CSP UK showed signs of ageing, which demonstrated a slow pace to change. The pace of change has to be right, not too slow but not too fast as this can lead to a mis-alignment with the environment (Johnson Scholes 1991 in Hayes 2007). Transfer of skills amongst staff was limited and affected the ability of the firm to attract the brightest, youngest individuals available, important for future development. Company policy of rewarding long service rather than distinguished service reinforced the companys lack of dynamism, and its need to adapt business models to reward productivity and not longevity. CSP UK must focus on incentives that recognise suitable professional behaviours both natural and acquired. Methods of Overcoming Barriers CSP UK understood the importance of involving all stakeholders and effectively communicating the process of change. It defined its present performance standard (As Is) and future goals (To Be), stressing the importance of managing transitional periods and sustaining and revising its outlook. High impact techniques were used to demonstrate the state of the business highlighting where improvements could be made. In one instance, 150 senior managers were invited to Millennium Stadium Cardiff only to be met with shoddy service like servings of cold tea and the use of a broken slide projector. In addition, videos of poor standards were shown to managers, as well as the consultations with local school children which highlighted poor public opinion regarding the vision and practices of the business (e.g. environmental issues). Alarmingly, there was no dissent from the invitees, demonstrating a difference between industry standards and expectations of employees, representing a huge barrier t o reforming the firm. To tackle this, stakeholders at Corus had to be made aware of their right to challenge. Individual ownership of change was fit into the work setting and personal responsibility for change was encouraged. To this day, over 5000 employees have signed up to the beliefs and principles of the firm. Approaches to Managing and Leading the Change Process The Gradualist Paradigm The gradualist paradigm of change states that, basic change occurs through a process of continuous adjustment as change is emergent, i.e., there is no deliberate organisation for change (Weick Quinn, 1999). Therefore, for successful implementation of change, management and communication of change is vital. Leaders at CSP UK focused on its future prospects, its vision for change and how its culture identity can build emotional links within its workforce; while its management team focused on the present and set out a combined (economical organisational development) strategy for company transformation (Beer 2001 in Hayes 2009, chapter 14). Nahavandi, 2000 (in Burnes) Kotter, 1990 (in Hayes) stressed the importance of change managers developing suitable capacity and logistic to implement change. Managers at CSP UK set out clear targets (top-down directives), established steps to be taken and allocated resources as needed, with the aim of improving economic value of its products. Credit must be given to its managerial style which showed flexibility between transformational (innovative and adaptive culture) and transactional models recognising and rewarding success. A note must be made of the inter-changing roles of leaders and managers at CSP UK which were not mutually exclusive, but where sometimes combined in times of change for greater efficiency (Bolden, 2004 in Hayes). Organisational development strategies at CSP UK focused on enhancing the abilities of its stakeholders by involving and supporting individuals in their roles. It passed on its organisational vision clearly and focused on creating an enabling environment that increases productivity. It promoted a culture of involvement and shared purpose, focusing on the individual as champions of change. To achieve this, it used a range of communication channels including written and verbal interactions such as newsletters, workshops, intranet messages, heart-to-heart conversations, etc. The management team at CSP UK expected certain hindrances like the lack of trust in managers and resistance to change (restraining forces) and was well equipped to meet these challenges. Change in itself can be a violent process, especially in terms of restructuring, recruitment and redundancy, so mediating and actively listening to the fears and desires of its stakeholders is crucial. Beer (2001, in Hayes) stresses the importance of upward communication and underlines the need for information distribution and individuals buying-into the need for reform. At the moment, there is collective support from individuals, teams and departments to improve its culture. In effect, the Journey sought out to manage a psychological contract based on core values that shape outcomes relating to job output. Measuring the Outcomes of Change The Journey program contributed hugely to the viability of business at Corus Strip Product, UK. Its production volume has increased by 4.5% to a run-rate of 5 million tonnes. Absenteeism is at an all time low and there has also been an improvement of goods and service to its customers. There are stricter targets for Health and Safety; with safety teams tasked with maintaining an accident-free environment. These have all contributed to the establishment of a robust business especially in the backdrop of harsh economic realities in 2008 and 2009. Crucial business forecast for 2009/2010 predicts cost reduction of approximately  £250 million. In order for an effective transitional period at CSP UK, it developed integrated feedback mechanisms that made the review process easy, and its adaptability to meet new deadlines. Midway indicators were set to integrate the workforce into achieving stated objectives. There has also been a massive number of quick wins, which has contributed to a greater yield and continues to improve the cost-effectiveness of the business. RECOMMENDATIONS This report has raised the issue of an organisational-wide business process re-engineering (BPR) at Corus as reinforced by gains showed at its sub-division (CSP UK) from implemented reforms. The plant is on target to attain a 20% reduction in cost of production of steel. Using CSP UK as a model, organisational structures can be redesigned world-wide that are more flexible and less hierarchical to accomplish faster and more adaptable responses to changing markets. For sustainable growth, Antonacopoulou Gabriel (2001); Argyris (1991) argued for the need for new learning to occur during the change process to allow for a gradual transformation of Corus from an organisation learning (OL) to being a learning organisation (LO). To be ahead of rivals in the sector, Corus has to continually invest in new systems especially apprenticeships to renew its workforce and to create a forward-thinking environment. Strebels cycle of competitive behaviour (in Hayes 2007) illustrates the importance of Corus having the adequate structures that it uses to predict technological, political (e.g. new laws) and economic changes in the steel industry. In the 1970s competition was fierce with rivals reacting to add value to their products to maintain market relevance. This led to an oversupply of products (breaking point) with insufficient demand and a consequent downturn leading to job losses. CSP UK acted rightly to formulate efficiency strategies resulting in Total Quantity Management initiative (TQMs) to improve competitiveness and productivity. Total labour cost is low (~13% of total cost) in contrast to energy and raw materials, e.g. assembly line cost at 40-50% of total cost, indicating excesses to expenditure here. Therefore, there is an opportunity to thoroughly review work efficiency (especially energy and raw materials) and reassign sufficient resources to improve innovation, staff management training, development, shared values and time and apprenticeship (transfer of learning). This comprehensive approach to organisational development is reflected in the thinking of the management. we cannot solve our problems by spending; we cannot solve our problems by cutting back. The only way to meet our challenges is to change how we go about things. (quote from Managing Director of CSP UK). The poor perception amongst the public on how CSP UK handles environmental issues has to be addressed without delay. Records show that carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 10% and its standards now exceeds government criteria for carbon emissions. A public relations initiative using a variety of channels (including internet, bill boards, television and radio, telephone messaging, etc) is needed to show the significant improvement in the companys impact on the community. There is some evidence of failure in previous programs even though the firm supported the concept of modernization. Due to the punctuated nature of change, measures have to both be incremental and transformational in nature to be effective. The Journey program gave a clear picture of the need for coordinated organisational changes within its structure, learning and culture (Burnes, B. 2009). Evidence of this is found in the way it worked in partnership to re-define its eight (8) core value that now steers everything CSP UK does and what its culture stands for. Corus Strip Products UK achieved this by winning the support of all employees as champions of change and supported a culture of frank engagement, avoiding the us and them mentality. This in turn challenged barriers of change and delivered a workable strategy that built a sustainable business for future generations. This culture must constantly be revived, reviewed and guarded carefully for future growth and development at Corus. CONCLUSIONS Due to the case-based evaluation of this report, there are limitations to the assumptions that can be made. However, it was evident that there was the need for organisational change to retain sustainability at Corus Strip Products UK. The Journey helped CSP UK weather the storm despite the economic downturn, with the company now benefiting from the gains of the program. This has enabled the business to construct a feasible business model that focuses on organisational transformation and establishes its growth and profitability margins; to maintain its ability to attract investment and capital from governments, big businesses, and individuals.

Life and Religion in To Kill a Mockingbird :: essays research papers

In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee in 1960, life in the town of Maycomb is very traditional. Most people have the same racial prejudices and live by certain rules, also referred to as ‘codes’ by Atticus Finch (p. 224). Aunt Alexandra is a good example as she is not from Maycomb but lives 20 miles away. When she comes to live with Atticus and his children, Jem and Scout, the town accepts her immediately for with her â€Å"boarding-school manners† (p.142), her ladylike behaviour and her enthusiastic involvement into the Missionary Circle and the ‘Maycomb Amanuensis Club’, she represents the ideal of a Maycomb woman. Although all people in Maycomb are quite different from each other, most of them, especially the more accepted, show respect, discipline and politeness. This can be seen in the Missionary Circle where ladies sit together to talk, drink tea and eat cakes (p. 253-259) and although they might not always agree on everything, they never directly say so. For example when Mrs Merriweather starts to criticise Atticus’ doing in Tom Robinson’s case, at a Missionary Circle in front of Scout - not naming anyone - Ms Maudie interrupts her and cuts off the subject without drawing anybody else’s attention to the quarrel. There are not many people in Maycomb who are open-minded and willing to accept different people and/or things, which makes it difficult to change. So after loosing the trial, Ms Maudie admits that she did not think Atticus had any chance of winning but that he was â€Å"the only man who could keep a jury out that long† and that it was a step, if only a baby-step, towards equality (p. 238). Furthermore this intolerance leads to Jem and Scout being confronted with offences against Atticus’ decisions by town people and fellow students. For one thing Mrs Dubose, an ‘evil’ neighbour of the Finch’s, criticises Atticus in a way that Jem is not willing to ignore and ends in him cutting down all her beloved camellias (p. 112-114). This in turn leads to Jem having to read to Mrs Dubose for more than a month (p. 117-122). For another thing the children at school badmouth Atticus probably with what they overheard their parents saying and this time it is Scout who looses her head a couple of times. In a small town like Maycomb there is also a lot of gossiping and prejudices against ‘lower class’ people.

A Comparison of A Midsummer Nights Dream and Romeo and Juliet Essay

Parallel Themes and Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare's plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Romeo and Juliet". These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of 'lovers', Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which one or more characters has a moral flaw that leads to his/her downfall. A comedic play has at least one humorous character, and a successful or happy ending. Comparing these two plays is useful to find how Shakespeare uses similar character types in a variety of plays, and the versatility of the themes which he uses. In "Romeo and Juliet", Juliet is young, "not yet fourteen", and she is beautiful, and Romeo's reaction after he sees her is, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear Beauty to rich for use, for the earth too dear!" Juliet is al... ..., not because one character has a flaw, but both families have a flaw- pride. Prohibited love, romance, controlling families, both plays have it all. With a few simple modifications, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" could have been a tragedy, and "Romeo and Juliet" could have been a comedy. Shakespeare however, uses many of the same character types, young, prudent, rebellous lovers, and controling family members, in both comedies and tragedies. The end results are character molds, along with theme molds that can be easily translated into almost any plot, in any play.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis Essay -- Biology

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis Abstract- Meningitis and Encephalitis symptoms are almost identical to those of the flu or common cold. Most symptoms are exceedingly subtle, and immediate diagnosis is crucial, because meningitis and encephalitis can become deadly in a matter of hours. There are many different forms of diagnosis, each equally important. Differentiating between bacterial and viral forms of the disease is important because treatment and severity differs. Meningitis is more prevalent in the elderly, the very young, and those with immune deficiency diseases. After his first trip to Africa, Brad Pitt came down with a mild case of viral meningitis. Luckily, Brad was diagnosed and treated in time by the finest doctors in Los Angeles. However, the meningitis could have turned deadly had the star not sought immediate medical attention. Meningitis can turn deadly in a matter of hours, but so few people recognize the symptoms. Mostly meningitis symptoms are comparable tom the common cold. There are signs, though, and accurate diagnosis procedures to ensure full and healthy lives for everyone. Meningitis is a potentially deadly disease with generally common symptoms. It can be either a viral or bacterial infection of a person?s spinal fluid. It also affects the fluid surrounding the brain. Meningitis usually started with either a viral or bacterial infection generally of the respiratory tract. Meningitis is much more common in the very young, very old, and people with immune systems that have been affected by an STD, such as HIV/AIDS. Symptoms in babies are often extremely difficult to detect as they cannot voice their grievances Meningitis symptoms in infants are almost impossible to visibly sepa... ...Control And Prevention. 12 Oct. 2005. 31 July 2006 http:///www.cdc.gov/ncidod/DBMD/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm. "Infections Meningitis." Kids Health For Parents. Ed. Elena Pearl Ben- Joseph, MD and Neil Izenberg, MD. Mar. 2004. Nemours Foundation. 31 July 2006 http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis.html "Meningitis." Wikipedia. 31 July 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Meningitis. Meningitis. Ed. Mary L. Gavin, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Nov. 2004. Kids Health. 1 Aug. 2006 meningitis.html>. Encephalitis. Ed. Barbara P Homeier, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Jan. 2005. Kids Health. 1 Aug. 2006 bacterial_viral/encephalitis.html>. "Encephalitis." Wikipedia. 30 July 2006. 1 Aug. 2006 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis>. Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis Essay -- Biology Symptoms and Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis Abstract- Meningitis and Encephalitis symptoms are almost identical to those of the flu or common cold. Most symptoms are exceedingly subtle, and immediate diagnosis is crucial, because meningitis and encephalitis can become deadly in a matter of hours. There are many different forms of diagnosis, each equally important. Differentiating between bacterial and viral forms of the disease is important because treatment and severity differs. Meningitis is more prevalent in the elderly, the very young, and those with immune deficiency diseases. After his first trip to Africa, Brad Pitt came down with a mild case of viral meningitis. Luckily, Brad was diagnosed and treated in time by the finest doctors in Los Angeles. However, the meningitis could have turned deadly had the star not sought immediate medical attention. Meningitis can turn deadly in a matter of hours, but so few people recognize the symptoms. Mostly meningitis symptoms are comparable tom the common cold. There are signs, though, and accurate diagnosis procedures to ensure full and healthy lives for everyone. Meningitis is a potentially deadly disease with generally common symptoms. It can be either a viral or bacterial infection of a person?s spinal fluid. It also affects the fluid surrounding the brain. Meningitis usually started with either a viral or bacterial infection generally of the respiratory tract. Meningitis is much more common in the very young, very old, and people with immune systems that have been affected by an STD, such as HIV/AIDS. Symptoms in babies are often extremely difficult to detect as they cannot voice their grievances Meningitis symptoms in infants are almost impossible to visibly sepa... ...Control And Prevention. 12 Oct. 2005. 31 July 2006 http:///www.cdc.gov/ncidod/DBMD/diseaseinfo/meningococcal_g.htm. "Infections Meningitis." Kids Health For Parents. Ed. Elena Pearl Ben- Joseph, MD and Neil Izenberg, MD. Mar. 2004. Nemours Foundation. 31 July 2006 http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/meningitis.html "Meningitis." Wikipedia. 31 July 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Meningitis. Meningitis. Ed. Mary L. Gavin, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Nov. 2004. Kids Health. 1 Aug. 2006 meningitis.html>. Encephalitis. Ed. Barbara P Homeier, MD and Joel Klein, MD. Jan. 2005. Kids Health. 1 Aug. 2006 bacterial_viral/encephalitis.html>. "Encephalitis." Wikipedia. 30 July 2006. 1 Aug. 2006 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis>.

Iic- Hkuspace Ass

HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies (IIC) Lecturer: Office: Email: Tel. : 1. Introduction 1. Human beings are social animals. We meet people and make friends throughout our life. However, building a positive relationship is not an accident, it requires understanding and effort and is an art to be learned and practiced. Learning, developing, expanding, and improving interpersonal skills and competencies are essential for future success.This course prepares students for the future by helping them improve themselves and their relationships with family members, friends, classmates, co-workers and even people who may be perceived as difficult. Aims & Objectives 2 This course aims at increasing students’ knowledge and understanding of basic human communication principles, identifying their strengths and weaknesses in intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, developing skills to achieve positive relationships with significant others and people aro und them. 2. 2By the end of the course, students should be able to: . 2. 1understand the concept of self, self-esteem and self-efficacy; 2. 2. 2know themselves throughout the life span, personality types and realize their strengths and weaknesses in communication; 2. 2. 3identify emotion and feelings and develop appropriate skills to express them; 2. 2. 4understand the meaning of happiness and develop ways to achieve life satisfaction; 2. 2. 5clarify values and understand moral development; 2. 2. 6develop better listening skills; 2. 2. 7master basic skills of giving and receiving responses; 2. 2. understand the features of healthy relationship and identify skills for managing conflicts; 2. 2. 9develop ways to enhance intimate relationships; 2. 2. 10 recognize the significance of parenting and strengthen family relationship. General approach 2. Mini lectures, role-plays, case discussions, psychological tests and other creative methods will be used as necessary. 3. Each meeting is 3 h ours per session, 12 meetings per term. References 5 Compulsory text Hanna, S. L. , Suggett, R. , & Radtke, D. (2010). Person to person: Positive relationships don’t just happen (5th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Suggested references Baker, L. L. , & Gaut, D. A. (2002). Communication (8th ed. ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. DeVito, J. A. (2012). The Interpersonal communication book (13th ed. ). NY: Addison Wesley Longman. DeVito, J. A. (2002). The interpersonal communication reader. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Erber, R. , & Erber, M. W. (2010). Intimate relationships: Issues, theories and research (2nd ed. ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Johnson, D. W. , & Johnson, F. P. (2008). Joining together: Group therapy and group skills (10th ed). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Knapp, M. L. (2002). Handbook of interpersonal communication (3rd ed. ). London: Sage.Ratliffe, S. A. , & Hudson, D. D. (1988). Skills building for interpersonal competence. U. S. : Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Sq uirrell, G. (1998). Developing life skills. Lyme Regis: Russell House. (2000): ( : )? (1999): ( : )? (2002): 180 ( : )? Syllabus |Class |Unit Title |Content | |(3 hours each) | | | |1 |A.Introduction |Course introduction, | | | |Concept of self | | |B. Knowing and Valuing Yourself (Chapter 1 of|Developmental areas of self | | |the text) |Self-esteem, self-concept, self-efficacy & ways to build and raise it | |2 |C. Understanding yourself throughout the life|Personality types and theories | |span (Chapter 2 of the text) |Gender and personality | | | |How to write psychology paper in APA format | |3 |1. Exploring values and making wise choices |Value and moral development | | |(Chapter 3 of the text) |Define wellness and ways of promoting wellness | | |2.Experiencing and expressing emotion |Emotion and self | | |(Chapter 5 of the text) |Constructive & appropriate ways to express emotion | | |And Achieving happiness & satisfaction |Define happiness | | |(Chapter 4 of the text) |Ob stacles in the pursuit of happiness | | | |Ways of achieving satisfaction | |4 |Student presentation |Group 1 – Chapter 3 | | | |Group 2 – Chapter 4 & 5 | |5 |3.Becoming a positive listener (Chapter 7 of|Verbal and non-verbal language | | |the text) |Define listening | | | |Develop better listening skills | | |4. Improving Communication |Style of verbalizing | | |(Chapter 8 and 9 of the text) |Effective communication | | | |Self-disclosure | | | |Giving & receiving compliments | | | Checking your perception | | | |Using dimensions of awareness | | | |Respond effectively | |6 |Student presentation |Group 3 – Chapter 7 | | | |Group 4 – Chapter 8 & 9 | |7 |5. Building Positive Relationships (Chapter |Creating healthy relationships | | |10 of the text) |Types of relationships | | | |Support systems | | | |Define conflict styles and conflict management | | |6.Strengthening Family Relationships |Family strengths & weaknesses | | |(Chapter 13 of the text) |P ositive parenting | | | |Changes in the family | |8 |Student presentation |Group 5 – Chapter 10 | | | |Group 6 – Chapter 13 | |9 |7. Developing & Enriching Intimate |What is love? | | |Relationships (Chapter 12 of the text) |Types of love | | | |Obstacles to love & intimacy | | | |Building intimacy | | | |Sexual fulfillment | | |Cohabitation | | | |Marriage | | | |Recommendation for marital success | |10 |Student presentation |Group 7 – Chapter 12 | | | |Group 8 – Chapter 12 | |11 |Self-reflection; |Students’ oral presentations: reflecting what one has learned in this | | |Submit term paper |course | |12 |Self-reflection; |Students’ oral presentations: reflecting what one has learned in this | | |Quiz |course | Assessment 100% course work ? Attendance10% ? Participation10% ? Quiz10% ? Group presentation25% ? Oral presentation20% ? Written assignment25% 6. 1Attendance10% 6. 1. 1Compulsory Attendance Students’ full attendance i s required. Prior approval should be sought from the lecturer for any leave of absence. Formal letter and medical certificate are required to prove students’ absence. Students must be punctual for their lessons.Three ‘late come-ins’ will be counted as one absence. Absence of any three sessions without reasonable written explanation and prior approval from the lecturer will lead to failure of the whole course. 6. 2Participation10% 6. 2. 1To facilitate students’ contribution to class learning, they are expected to: 6. 2. 1. 1prepare and present mini-lectures, take a leading role in class discussion, group activities and presentations; 6. 2. 1. 2share own experiences and thoughts with the group; 6. 2. 1. 3reflect on and learn from experiences and feedback; 6. 2. 1. 4provide fruitful, concrete and constructive feedback to classmates. 6. 3Quiz 10% 6. 3. A multiple choice, open book short quiz related to the text will be carried out at the beginning of class 12. Students are reminded to read the text regularly. 6. 4Group Presentation25% 6. 4. 18 groups will be formed in the first class. Starting from class 4, each group will be responsible for presenting and running activities during the session. 6. 4. 2The content of presentation is related to the content of chapter/s of the textbook being assigned. Each group has to hand in a Pre-task Form to the lecturer at least one week before their presentation (see p. 15-16). Marks may be deducted for late submission. It is highly recommended for groups to discuss with the lecturer before the presentation. 6. 4. In addition to the textbook, students are encouraged to look for other relevant materials when preparing the presentation, such as newspapers, local statistical reports, personal experiences and other electronic and paper journals etc. 6. 4. 4The format of the presentation is flexible and should be creative. Mini-lecture, drama, role-plays and games involving the entire class are recommended . The class activity should be related to everyday life, and as original and stimulating as possible. 6. 4. 5Duration of the presentation should be around 40 minutes. 6. 4. 6Students are required to use English in the presentation. 6. 4. 7After the group presentation, the entire class will assess and provide feedback on the group’s overall performance. Each roup will ask one question and give a brief verbal comment on the performance of the presentation group. Each group will also need to fill in an evaluation form and submit it to the lecturer (p. 8). 6. 5 Oral Presentation 20% 6. 5. 1Each student shall prepare a self-reflection speech in about 300 words in English. Self-reflection means anything one believes one has learned or gained from this course that is beneficial in self-understanding and developing positive relations, and would like to share verbally in English. 6. 5. 2Each student will have at most 3 minutes to present in the class in class 11 and 12 6. 5. 3After th e presentation, each group will ask the student a question.Each group will provide written feedback and rate the performance of the student (p. 10). 6. 5. 4Students are required to hand in their script for reference at the beginning of their presentation. Marks will be deducted if students fail to submit a written script of their presentation. 6. 6 Written assignment 25% 6. 6. 1Students are required to submit a paper in this course. This paper should be written in English and submitted at the beginning of class 11. The submission deadline of the paper will be strictly enforced. Without prior approval from the lecturer, zero mark or F Grade will be given to any late submission. For security purpose, student is recommended to keep a spare copy of the paper. 6. 6. Format of the paper: neatly typed on A4 papers, double-line spacing, font size 12, Times New Roman, 1 inch margin. 6. 6. 3Word limits: 1000 words with word count provided. 6. 6. 4 Proper references should be included in the p aper. 6. 6. 5Students have to demonstrate their ability to integrate knowledge they learnt from this course to analyze a case. Assignment questions: see p. 12. 6. 6. 6 Term paper marking criteria |Excellent A |Criteria in obtaining a B and | | |Strong evidence of original thinking | | |Good capacity to analyze and ynthesize | | |Indication of critical thinking | | |Superior grasp of subject matter | | |Evidence of extensive knowledge base | | |Excellent suggestions that definitely can be used in real life situations. | |Good B |Criteria in obtaining a C and | | |Elaborate and illustrate with appropriate examples. | | |Good grasp of the subject matter. | |Some evidence of critical capacity and analytical ability | | |Reasonable understanding of issues | | |Good insights and/or practical suggestions. | |Satisfactory C |Well organized – with introduction, content, conclusion and reference sections. | | |APA format used | | |Content is relevant to the question asked. | | |Indic ate basic knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. | |With acceptable conclusion and appropriate suggestions or insights. | |Fair D |Written in understandable English. | | |Content is somewhat relevant to the question asked. | | |Unable to use proper APA format. | |Poor F |Little evidence of familiarity with the concept and subject matter | | |Poor English | | |Plagiarism | HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Group Presentation Classmates’ Group Feedback Form Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri Group: ______ Presentation Topic: _______________________________________ From Group: ___________am/pm |Presenters: | | | | |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ | |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ | Performance Appraisal Item |Excellent |Good |Satisfactory |Fair |Poor | |Structure & organization | | | | | | |Preparation | | | | | | |Time allocation | | | | | | |Appropriate content | | | | | | |Interesting activities | | | | | | |Clarity of message | | | | | | |Classmates’ response | | | | | | |Sound rationale | | | | | | |Overall | | | | | | Your group’s comments _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Group Presentation Lecturer’s Immediate Feedback Form Group: ______ Presentation Topic: ___________________________________________ Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri _______am/pm Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ | |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ | | | | | | |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ |Name: ______________ | |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ |Student ID: __________ | Performance Appraisal Item |Excellent |Good |Satisfactory |Fair |Poor | |Structure & organization | | | | | | |Preparation | | | | | | |Time allocation | | | | | | |Appropriate content | | | | | | |Interesting activities | | | | | | |Clarity of message | | | | | | |Classmates’ response | | | | | | |Sound rationale | | | | | | |Overall | | | | | | _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Individual Oral Presentation Classmates’ Group Assessment Form Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri Presenter’s Name: ______________________ From Group: ___________am/pm Performance Appraisal Item |Excellent |Good |Satisfactory |Fair |Poor | |Structure & organization | | | | | | |Preparation | | | | | | |Time allocation | | | | | | |Content | | | | | | |Clarity of presentation | | | | | | |Responses to questions | | | | | | Question(s) your group raised or you want to raise and the presenter’s response: __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ _______________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Overall comment on the presentation: _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Individual Oral Presentation Lecturer’s Feedback Form Presenter’s Name: ______________________ Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri _______am/pm Performance Appraisal Item |Excellent |Good |Satisfactory |Fair |Poor | |Structure & organization | | | | | | |Preparation | | | | | | |Time allocation | | | | | | |Content | | | | | | |Clarity of presentation | | | | | | |Respons es to questions | | | | | | HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Individual Oral Presentation Lecturer’s Feedback Form Presenter’s Name: ______________________ Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri _______am/pm Performance Appraisal Item |Excellent |Good |Satisfactory |Fair |Poor | |Structure & organization | | | | | | |Preparation | | | | | | |Time allocation | | | | | | |Content | | | | | | |Clarity of presentation | | | | | | |Responses to questions | | | | | | Case Study My name is Sammy.I had unsatisfactory results in my public examinations and could not be admitted to a university. My parents wanted me to further study, therefore, I went to college without giving it much thought. I do not like studying. Actually, I don’t’ know what I like and dislike. The question â€Å"Who am I? † still confuses me. It is clear to me that I am not as competent as my friends and classmates. My classmates have better academic and sports per formance than me. My elder sister is better looking than me. My cousin is more†¦ I cannot remember the last time I talked to my parents peacefully. My parents go home late because of work. When they come home, I am usually in bed.If they happen to come home earlier, they usually find me lying on the sofa with the television on, or surfing the Internet aimlessly. They often complain and nag, which irritates me very much. I once lost my temper and banged the door harshly after their criticism. Since this incident, I have become accustomed to respond to their complaints with a blank face or going back to my room quietly. I think silence is better than quarrels. Pre-assignment preparation (to be completed in class 1): According to your common senses, list out the possible problems of the main character of the scenario (Sammy) and your suggested solutions to the main character’s problems. Assignment questions (1000 words, submission deadline: in class 11):Base on what you hav e learned in this course (including your textbook and any reference materials that you may have read), analyze the case study provided. Using theoretical support: identify the problems the main character has and suggest possible solutions. HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies [pic] Assignment Checklist (Will be attached to students’ paper) 1. Format Double-line spacing( Typed (yes, the computer is just fine)( 2. ContentExcellentPoor Identifies the possible problems of the scenario ((((( Proposes pragmatic solutions to the scenario((((( Shows how the theories apply to the scenario((((( Cites references with APA format((((( 3. Writing StyleExcellentPoor Organized(((((Understandable((((( Appropriate Grammar & correct spelling((((( Cohesiveness((((( Other comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Grade ___________ Teacher ____________________ Date ___________ HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal CompetenciesGuidelines for writing an essay 1. Structure and presentation 1. Essay is well-structured with table of content, introduction, sections (parts) and conclusion (or suggestion ) 2. Paragraphs (or sections/ parts ) are logically linked 3. Appropriate insertion of tables or figures whenever necessary 4. Good reference section 2. Content (be regarded as more important) 1. Materials are addressed to the topic with evidence of extensive reading. 2. The theme is well mastered & logically developed 3. The major theories / concepts are well mastered. 4. Arguments are adequate and critical. 5. Theory(ies) applied are critically evaluated. 6.Draw r eference from relevant local examples as far as possible. 3. Conclusion / suggestions 1. Summarize the key points briefly 2. Having new ideas & insights into the topic 3. 3. Provide workable suggestions HKU SPACE Community College Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies Group Presentation Pre-task Form Course Code: _________________ Class: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri am/pm Group: ______ Presentation Title: __________________________________________ |Name: ________________ |Name: ________________ |Name: ________________ |Name: ________________ | |Student ID: ____________ |Student ID: ____________

Bradman’s Last Innings Context

BRADMAN’S LAST INNINGS CONTEXT Sir Donald Bradman, born in 1908, is the most renowned and respected of Australian cricketers who, although of retiring demeanour, attained heroic stature in the interwar period and captained Australia in test matches against England from 1936 to 1948. He represents an era, long gone, when sportsmen were gentlemen and the love of a game, not dubious ‘star' status and huge financial rewards, was the inducement to play. In this way, too, he represents an Australia that has now receded into the romantic past, when the kind of man he was and the principles he espoused embodied a unified nation's beliefs about itself an understated confidence, even in hard times, a sense of fair play and a simplicity (sophisticates, today, would say ‘a simplemindedness) about life and its purposes. The affection of that society for Bradman was enunciated in the opening phrase of the popular song that was written about him: ‘Our Don Bradman'. Foulcher recalls the cricketer's reputation, in this poem, and subjects it to his keen poet's scrutiny. ‘Bradman's last innings' is framed by the event commemorated in the title – Bradman's last appearance at the crease, and the irony of his unceremonious dismissal, on that occasion, without a single run to his credit: Bowled for a duck, you could have asked for better†¦. At the end of the poem, the experience of his last match is more bitterly registered four runs short of that century / average, at the last, betrayed by your own game – as the cruel summation of a brilliant career. Between, Foulcher sketches the great batsman's life in the context of its significance in Australian history and the momentous national and world events of the earlier part of this century. In making these connections, the poet indicates the national and international renown of Bradman in these tumultuous years. During the grim time of the Great Depression, in the 1930s, ‘so many came to see you', and were momentarily lifted out of their gloom by his skill forgetting the dole queues, the homes dull with a long democracy. Foulcher's political comment here is apt in the historical setting of the vigorous challenges to democracy, by Communism and Fascism, especially in Europe, in those days. Australia, though suffering from the worldwide economic slump, was all but immune from such ideological ferment. The adjective ‘dull' indicates, critically, the sleepiness of the Australian backwater and sets the excitement of Bradman's appearances both against that dullness and, in praise of old Australia's isolation and detachment, against the grim excitements of Hitler and Stalin, occurring on the other side of the world. It is an ambiguous compliment, however: while the rest of humanity was being stirred politically, Australians were being distracted by sport. It is a criticism that remains relevant. During the Second World War, Bradman remained an inspiration, though Foulcher, in speaking of women waiting for their Saturday oval husbands does remind us – again, with a touch of criticism – of the sexual inequalities of that society. There is something ambiguous, too, about these ‘husbands'. It is not their wives, precisely, who wait for them – but ‘women'. Are these the men, not at war for a variety of reasons, some valid, some not so, who were reviled (as non-fighting men always are, in wartime) and who often replaced, in women's affections, the absent husbands? If so, the world in which Bradman continued to be a hero, for such people as these, was by no means as innocent as the game he played. CFAIRJONES KGS 2010 After the war, once again he ‘padded up' – an icon of constancy in a changing society. But now, the disjunction between what Bradman represented and the world that came to see him is vast. In Foulcher's analysis (as, indeed, in those of many historical commentators), the moral principles of western civilisation seemed to have been finally destroyed by that conflict, which climaxed in the atomic bomb. Yet Bradman perpetuated the old ideals: you gave people / something the world lacked: rules to / play by, winners, clear white flannels // sharp against the green turf. However, even this image of perfection (beautifully visualised in that crisp whiteness and brilliant green) is imperfect – and, even more disturbingly, Foulcher argues that all ideal conceptions are fallible, in an insistent repetition: But it never works out, never – as he recalls that even Bradman fell short, at the last, of the achievement expected of him. Addressed directly to Sir Donald – in the use of the second person singular – Foulcher's poem is unique in combining at once a tribute and a lament. He is not bent on diminishing the generations' celebration of Bradman's greatness, but his honesty is such that he must set that achievement in the larger context of his interpretation of the human condition – of fate. In other words, with rare poise, Foulcher both communicates the almost mythological stature of Bradman and the fact of the even greater forces in human life – here articulated through the betrayal which cricket, personified, inflicts on its champion – from which even heroes are not immune. CFAIRJONES KGS 2010

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film, based on the 1973 novel of the same name written by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman also the book’s author. The story is presented in the movie as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson, this technique effectively keeping intact this novel's narrative style. This movie is number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) â€Å"AFI's 100 Years†¦ 100 Passions† listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time. As said the movie’s novel like feels it done by a grandfather reading a book to his grandson, who would rather be playing his video game, then to listen to a story about love. The story takes place in a fictional world of Florin is about a beautiful woman named Buttercup who orders around a farm boy until the day when she realizes, that she loves him. She wants to live happily ever after with him, but then evil forces intervene. Buttercup learns that her one true love Westley her farm boy was killed. Five years later we find Buttercup ready to marry the Evil prince Humperdinck. She is kidnapped by a trio of bandits, who want to start war between Gilda and Florin. The trio is tallied by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Who is there to save the princess, who is this heroic man in black? This movie is witty and sassy without going too far over the top. Reiner manages a task of creating a movie that at the same time parodies a genre while also celebrating and participating in it. Despite the irony and the fantastic setting we come to care about the individuals even the trio of bandits. The instant the princess is kidnapped by agents of the evil Prince Humperdinck reveals itself as a spoof of sword and sorcery movies, yet the film somehow manages to appeal to all viewers. While the younger viewers will sit fascinated by the thrilling action scenes like the sword fight, and the adults, will be laughing with movie at one scene after another. This film is funny not only because they contain comedy, but because Reiner does justice to the underlying form of his story. And those who search films that can be enjoyed by all members of their family this movie is it. All of them will enjoy it family members ranging from grammar school kid, to teenagers, ,mom and dad, and even grandma and grandpa will have a few laughs. There may be nothing better than this motion picture, which celebrates fairy tales and true love. , The Princess Bride can still be enjoyed on the simple level of the story of a princess being rescued by her one true love. The average family film is targeted mainly at children, with a few elements thrown in to go over the young children’s heads that appeal to their parents. The crafting of The Princess Bride, however, is far finer. Nearly every aspect of the film delights all possible viewers. For example the sword fight between Inigo and Westly, offers equal thrills to the viewers of all ages even though the verbal banter that accompanies the struggle will resonate more with the older viewers. The choice of actors is only another plus for this movie for this already great movie , Robin Wright and Cary Elwes were selected as much for their good looks as for their acting ability, and they prove that. They have great chemistry that just beams off the screen. Wright, despite being California bred, delivers a perfect British accent. Elwes is equally at home with this comedic, action, and drama role. Mandy Patankin, playing Inigo, matches Elwes' athleticism and develops a character that is instantly sympathetic regardless of originally being a â€Å"bad guy†. Andre the Giant represents the mighty Fezzik as a lovable giant, and Wallace Shawn is hilarious as the narcissistic Vizzini, whose end is inconceivable. Chris Sarandon takes Humperdinck's arrogance to amazing levels. Since the release from over 20 years ago, The Princess Bride has often been copied, but never equaled. Perhaps the most successful movie to capture its spirit was the animated Shrek. The Princess Bride is an unparalleled achievement – a modern classic that will be enjoyed for generations to come. All in all the movie is a brilliant with the acting and comic wit is what makes the movie great. All though the movie is over twenty years old with makes the special effects nothing special. This movie has heart that is scene between Westly and his one true love Buttercup. All of the aspects add up to make one hreafelt comedy that will have you repeating lines in no time. This movie gets an inconceivable 4. 5 out of five stars.

Free Essays on Gladitorial Combat

Evaluate the importance of Gladiatorial combat to public entertainment to Roman culture: Kathleen M. Coleman, a professor of Latin at Harvard University, has written extensively on the Roman arena and teaches a course called Roman Games. Gladiatorial combat at Rome first appeared in the third century B.C. as part of funerary celebrations. Slaves, or sometimes prisoners of war, fought in combat in honor of the deceased. During the Late Republic gladiatorial combat began to gradually move out of the funerary scene. It becomes an index of the popularity of civic leaders outside Rome or the emperor in Rome. One key point is the deployment of violence as an ingredient in public entertainment. The Romans believed in physical bravery and its manifestation in combat as a cardinal virtue. And simultaneously they believed that persons of no status, particularly persons who had done something wrong, deserved physical punishment. The Roman arena was used to punish miscreants. Criminals were exposed to the beasts. It catered to an instinct in human nature that is attracted by the suffering and bloodletting of others. And this is certainly an element that is deployed in the modern entertainment media. Also, the extent to which we are distracted from the serious concerns of society by the glamour of public entertainment figures and the extravaganzas of the cinema and sports field represents a deep-seated human desire, familiar to the Romans, to be distracted from serious and troubling matters. And it was an effective tool to keep power in a few hands. We know that beast displays continued well into the sixth century. But early in the fifth century, gladiatorial displays finally seem to have ended throughout the Roman Empire. Probably due to a combination of factors: they became extremely expensive, and possibly the church may have had something to do with this, since the church fathers objected to pagan attractions and exhorted their flocks to at... Free Essays on Gladitorial Combat Free Essays on Gladitorial Combat Evaluate the importance of Gladiatorial combat to public entertainment to Roman culture: Kathleen M. Coleman, a professor of Latin at Harvard University, has written extensively on the Roman arena and teaches a course called Roman Games. Gladiatorial combat at Rome first appeared in the third century B.C. as part of funerary celebrations. Slaves, or sometimes prisoners of war, fought in combat in honor of the deceased. During the Late Republic gladiatorial combat began to gradually move out of the funerary scene. It becomes an index of the popularity of civic leaders outside Rome or the emperor in Rome. One key point is the deployment of violence as an ingredient in public entertainment. The Romans believed in physical bravery and its manifestation in combat as a cardinal virtue. And simultaneously they believed that persons of no status, particularly persons who had done something wrong, deserved physical punishment. The Roman arena was used to punish miscreants. Criminals were exposed to the beasts. It catered to an instinct in human nature that is attracted by the suffering and bloodletting of others. And this is certainly an element that is deployed in the modern entertainment media. Also, the extent to which we are distracted from the serious concerns of society by the glamour of public entertainment figures and the extravaganzas of the cinema and sports field represents a deep-seated human desire, familiar to the Romans, to be distracted from serious and troubling matters. And it was an effective tool to keep power in a few hands. We know that beast displays continued well into the sixth century. But early in the fifth century, gladiatorial displays finally seem to have ended throughout the Roman Empire. Probably due to a combination of factors: they became extremely expensive, and possibly the church may have had something to do with this, since the church fathers objected to pagan attractions and exhorted their flocks to at...

Psychology Essay on Dreaming and Sleeping

Psychology Essay on Dreaming and Sleeping Free Online Research Papers Recurring dreams and nightmares may seem like a bad thing, however, if understood correctly can be one of our biggest problem solvers yet. Nobody likes to experience a bad dream and most of the time we wake up, calm down and just wish to forget about them. We neglect to question as to why we had to go through such a terrible dream when, ironically, is the opposite of what we want to do and exactly what we should do. Sometimes dreams can just be a correlation of things we’ve gone through that day, things we’ve seen and our confined thoughts but most times they’re much more than that and can actually become quite useful. The first step is remembering the dream and everything you can about it, especially if it is a bad one. Just about everything in a dream is symbolic in some way, big or small, but we tend to notice certain things over others. These things that stand out are our mind’s way of trying to communicate with us about our more important problems. This is also sort of a pressure release therapy for the psyche or a way to vent and cope for your mind. If you continue to ignore the dream it might cause your mind to throw current events, people or things in the dream to show you that you still need to solve the problem. Ignorance results in the recurring of the dream or nightmare. For instance, sometimes we can’t accept aspects of ourselves that we need to grow out of or confront so our minds will turn them into monsters, demons, shadows or things of this nature and usually send them after us. Now if you always wake up and try to forget this dream and keep living your life, don’t be surprised if you keep experiencing this dream. The only way to stop it is if you think about yourself and your life to find what you need to change. Dreams can also predict things that your sub-conscience is thinking of doing but you just don’t know yet; like if you were to turn around in that dream while being chased and confront the thing chasing you, this would foretell of your overcoming that problem. Normal things we experience in everyday life result in deep inner thoughts held within our brain until we go to sleep, if those thoughts result from a problem that day you’re most likely going to dream about it, subliminally or clearly. It’s your mind’s way of letting you know â€Å"you need to change this†, â€Å"this isn’t good†, â€Å"watch out for this† or â€Å"hey, wake up and realize this†. If we learn to examine and analyze our own dreams we can not only stop those nasty nightmares from coming back but understand ourselves better and solve our own problems easier! Research Papers on Psychology Essay on Dreaming and SleepingMind TravelThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Spring and AutumnEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenLifes What IfsThree Concepts of PsychodynamicCapital PunishmentThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyResearch Process Part One

Free Essays on The 1950s

The 1950’s was a time in which American life changed tremendously. It was an era in which art, entertainment, lifestyles, people, sports, science and technology advanced and met peacetime needs. At the end of World War II thousands of young servicemen came back to America to pick up their lives and start new families in new homes with new jobs. At this time of period nobody worried about how they were going to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads, because everyone had jobs and the economy was doing great. Teenagers were having more fun than ever too. They all seemed to know what they wanted in life, to go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, and have children, all in that order just as their parents had. And because of this population arose referred to as the baby boom. The average age of getting married back then was twenty. Now in days it’s much different. Some people get married very young, others when their old, and some somewhere in the twen ties. Also in the 50’s American’s were able to enjoy a much higher standard of living because of higher paying jobs. Sports and games wasn’t very important in the in the 50’s I would say, but rather a thing people did and watched to enjoy themselves. As television became more popular and available, sport stars became recognized. One major and important sport would be boxing. Still remembered today and known as the one of the greatest boxers that ever lived was Joe Luis, also known as the â€Å"Brown Bomber†. Because of his magnificent physique, lightning punches, and stolid calmness he arouse as a professional very rapidly. Another very prominent sport was and still is, would be baseball. In this sport only one famous athlete could be described, Jackie Robinson. He played his fist game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier that had existed in major league baseball. I assume basketball wasn’t very big back then, but later as time went on got ... Free Essays on The 1950's Free Essays on The 1950's The 1950’s was a time in which American life changed tremendously. It was an era in which art, entertainment, lifestyles, people, sports, science and technology advanced and met peacetime needs. At the end of World War II thousands of young servicemen came back to America to pick up their lives and start new families in new homes with new jobs. At this time of period nobody worried about how they were going to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads, because everyone had jobs and the economy was doing great. Teenagers were having more fun than ever too. They all seemed to know what they wanted in life, to go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, and have children, all in that order just as their parents had. And because of this population arose referred to as the baby boom. The average age of getting married back then was twenty. Now in days it’s much different. Some people get married very young, others when their old, and some somewhere in the twen ties. Also in the 50’s American’s were able to enjoy a much higher standard of living because of higher paying jobs. Sports and games wasn’t very important in the in the 50’s I would say, but rather a thing people did and watched to enjoy themselves. As television became more popular and available, sport stars became recognized. One major and important sport would be boxing. Still remembered today and known as the one of the greatest boxers that ever lived was Joe Luis, also known as the â€Å"Brown Bomber†. Because of his magnificent physique, lightning punches, and stolid calmness he arouse as a professional very rapidly. Another very prominent sport was and still is, would be baseball. In this sport only one famous athlete could be described, Jackie Robinson. He played his fist game with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier that had existed in major league baseball. I assume basketball wasn’t very big back then, but later as time went on got ...

Karl Marxs Paradigm of Unbridled Development

Karl Marxs Paradigm of Unbridled Development Free Online Research Papers The Marxist Political Economy and The Paradigm of Unbridled Development A look at how Marxist principles explain the sweep of globalization over the world economy, its implications, and how ultimately it will lead to capitalism producing its own grave diggers from a displaced middle class. Few populate the realm of those who retain their relevance more than a century after their deaths. Though many are read, studied, and emulated rarely do the great thinkers produced from the Enlightenment and into the nineteenth century have ideas applicable to the modern world. Since their writings there have been three complete waves of democratization that have transformed the political landscape of the world, a world that was populated with monarchs and empires when they wrote about, analyzed, and observed it. Of the thinkers who retain a degree of relevance fewer yet have begat revolutions, modes of political analysis, and even techniques of literary critique. Then of course, none of them foretold the mass globalization, advent of free trade, and grandiose expansion of the capitalist free market or of its downfall as did Karl Marx. Karl Marx utilized the dialectical method, a system adapted from Hegel as a ‘Young Hegelian’ and used by Aristotle before Hegel. Hegel was of the belief that society was rife with contradictions, a condition occurring when two social variables are incompatible to be in coexistence for the long term that would lead to harmonious resolutions. These resolutions would provide a great deal of unity and tranquility in Hegel’s view. Karl Marx was of the belief that society was indeed comprised of a grand system of contradictions, but differed in that he felt that these contradictions resulted in conflict which would eventually spur into violent revolution and change, particularly in the capitalist system. Marx introduced a great deal of historical analysis and found that all economic systems since recorded history began have involved class divisions and economic inequalities where wealth is appropriated upward from a lower class to a ruling class. Slaves created wealth that was appropriated to masters, serfs generated wealth to lords, and the lords would use this wealth in conjunction with the advent of private property to become capitalists, or the bourgeoisie, who exploit the labor of wage workers or the proletariat. With these class distinctions come contradictions that eventually weaken the system and lead to its change into another, more compatible system. Marx saw this as a long running evolution that would eventually create a classless society and mode of production which he saw as communism. Integral to his study of capitalism is his perception of the aims of capitalism, which is ostensibly to take capital, invest it into creating a product, and selling that commodity for more than it took to manufacture it taking into consideration the costs of raw materials, facilities, and fuel which are static charges and the variable cost of wages paid to the workers who operate the means of production, which they do not own. That money is then reinvested to create more capital, and the cycle is repeated until losses exhaust the capital and one falls from the high ranks of the bourgeoisie or until one dies. What this creates, according to Marx’s Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 is alienation for both the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The proletariat is alienated from the goods it creates which Marx saw as an essential part of labor, the ability to enjoy the products of one’s labor. As Marx states it: â€Å"The product of labor is labor which has been embodied in an object, which has become material: it is the objectification of labor. Labor’s realization is its objectification. In the sphere of political economy this realization of labor appears as loss of realization for the workers; objectification as loss of the objet and bondage to it.† (Marx, 2002, p. 833) Also, the worker is alienated from other human beings as capitalism, in Marx’s view, has created a system of exchange where human relationships are replaced by cash transactions; this idea is elaborated in 1876’s Capital with the concept of the fetishism of commodities where goods take on meanings not inherent to the product itself and human beings begin treating others as objects. And the worker is alienated from the capital that they generate, which has been appropriated upward to the bourgeoisie. This system of upward appropriation of wealth eventually creates two classes after the middle class fades into the proletariat which possesses interests diametrically opposed to that of the bourgeoisie. Marx was a historical materialist, seeing the superstructures of society stemming from material relations and the impact of economic systems upon social institutions. As the bourgeoisie will be in charge of creating policy by the very nature of democratic politics, and thus will have a great degree of control over the education system, education, on the level of state provided education, becomes a source of indoctrination and a means to subordinate the proletariat. The bourgeoisie also manipulates religion and creates social constructs to both subordinate the proletariat and create infighting within the proletariat. In essence, the proletariat is a group living in similar economic conditions, as are the bourgeoisie, therefore they comprise a class in themselves. However, until they gain class consciousness and realize that they have interest in contradiction to those of the bourgeoisie they are not a class for themselves. This is a point of contention that the bourgeoisie take s eriously and have deployed a number of tactics to prevent the proletariat from becoming a class for itself such as the doctrine of predestination in Puritanical sects of Christianity. This doctrine stated that one was destined, upon birth, to go to heaven or hell and that this fate was irrefutable and not subject to change. The job of the worshiper was to work hard for signs of their fate, these signs were interpreted as financial success and thus the protestant ethic that Weber would explore was born. (Chomsky, 2006, pp. 110-156) The bourgeoisie also use race, ethnicity, and difference of religious preference to their advantage. A prime example is today’s struggle over immigration in the United States where mostly blue collar workers adamantly and sometimes violently resist the influx of Mexican immigrants because they are, in their view, taking their jobs. What this creates is a struggle within a class, the proletariat, that prevents them from discovering their mutual position in opposition to the bourgeoisie and to recognize the shared exploitation that they are being subjected to. Racial prejudices that gave rise to the Ku Klux Klan and like groups kept the proletariat fighting against itself. That is why, in Marx’s view stated in the 1848 Communist Manifesto, in order to establish a classless society private property, religion, and the family due to its inherent financial obligations that facilitate ones subjugation by the capitalists must be abolished. Marx saw capitalism as a necessary step to communism, a system that had put into place the infrastructure, machinery, and facilitated the acquisition of knowledge in order to build a flourishing capitalist system. He cited the United States as an optimal breeding ground for a revolution of the proletariat, where the working class would rise as one and overtake the bourgeoisie, seizing their property and thus the means of production due to its advanced state of democracy and its innovative farming techniques, abundance of natural resources, and modern infrastructure. The problem is that the revolution did not occur here. V. Lenin interpreted Marx’s work and applied it to Russia, which was a Czarist Agrarian society at the time. Aside from not being the optimal economic climate in which to stage a proletariat revolution, Lenin interpreted the revolution to be led by elites who would establish a strong central government to subordinate the people and, more or less, force them into a classless society. After Lenin’s death, the Soviet Union was born and the communist party, to which Marx was inextricably tied via his writing of the Communist Manifesto in 1848, lost a great deal of relevance and support and became villiafied, particularly in America. Numerous third world countries would follow suit and, going by Marx’s model, predictably failed. This leads many to state that Marx himself has lost his relevance. What they fail to see is that these so called Marxist revolutions were launched on perversions of Marx’s work, interpretations that ignored large tracts of his works particularly anything written after the Communist Manifesto. Particularly what many fail to recognize is a central contradiction in the capitalist system that will, at some point in time, lead to its implosion if a proletariat revolution fails to dismantle the system beforehand. The contradiction is this. In order for a capitalist to be successful, he must put less money into a product than he gets out of it. Thus, as the product sales for more than raw materials, overhead, and labor put together then the amount paid to laborers in wages falls far short than the total exchange value of goods on the market at a given time. Eventually, once there are no new markets to conquer, the findings of which made capitalism a viable system to begin with starting in the late 15th century with the dawn of mass exploration, and no new labor markets to exploit then the system will reach an end from which there is no return. There will be an inevitable mass surplus of goods, which is unsatisfactory in a capitalist system because in a market where supply exceeds demand, price falls. When price falls, profits disappear and so too do the capitalists. The bourgeoisie knows this and thus much of the economic policies of the last twenty years can be explained through Marxist interpretations. The need to expand both markets for goods and for labor has created the paradigm that is commonly referred to as globalization and has created a vocabulary all its own with terms like free trade zones, outsourcing, and the transnational or multinational corporation. The bourgeoisie used their influence to make all of this legal by creating systems outside of the system that transcend borders like the World Trade Organization that work to propagate the transnational corporation and explore more native peoples living in abject poverty in the wake of failed pseudo-Marxist revolutions in South America, Asia and Mexico. Particularly of importance in America, NAFTA was passed in 1994. NAFTA, or the North American Free Trade Agreement allowed companies from America and Canada to relocate into Mexico along the northern border. Previous to the passage of NAFTA, there were factories called maquiladoras along the border of Mexico, however they were restricted to producing textiles as part of the Bracero program in 1964 which intended to develop the region. After NAFTA, all companies were permitted to move into the region. Today over three thousand factories exist in the maquila region. They produce items ranging from textiles to petrochemicals and automotive parts. Work hours are extraordinarily long. The typical maquiladora work week ranged from sixty-five hours to eighty hours, depending upon the type of factory and the type of work being done. This accomplishes two things, it allows for cheap production of goods as workers are rarely paid overtime, and even if they are it occurs long after the point at which American workers would be paid and it installs a younger workforce with a lower degree of longevity at the factory. The longer a worker is in the factory the more likely he or she is to demand a wage increase or attempt to unionize. (Sciences, 1999) Wages are also remarkably low. The typical maquiladora worker makes about $1.00 per hour, substantially less than the manufacturing sector average within Mexico and far below American wages. Furthermore the cost of living in Mexican border towns is comparable to small towns in the United States. Thus the wages barely, if even, cover expense of living and certainly do not allow for any extra capital that could be used to buy luxury items, invest in the infrastructure of the community or to develop the local economy. The bourgeoisie is actively attempting to install a permanent proletariat. The conditions are similar in over eighty free trade zones throughout the world, and apparently enough new exploitive labor markets were not secured as congress passed CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2007. (Durazo, 2000) In America the consequences have been two fold. Immediately and most recognizable to Americans is the expanded availability of goods that are, in the short term affordable. However, everyone from Lou Dobbs to Noam Chomsky has pointed out that the middle class is disappearing and that the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing, and has been since Reagan’s deregulation policies of the 1980’s and the launch of the neoconservative movement which holds free market capitalism and the trickle down theory of economics, which suffers from the camera obscura fallacy. As cheaper labor markets appear, corporations, despite of their intentions, are forced to move to areas where labor is cheaper in order to compete and to be as profitable as their competitors. Thus, the capitalists are themselves alienated from their species as, in order for them to survive as capitalists, they must exploit the labor of proletariats to the greatest degree possible. ( (Weller, 2006)) At any rate, this diminishing of the middle class pushes more and more into the ranks of the proletariat. With a new segment of the proletariat having seen the capitalists in action it becomes more and more likely that they will become the grave diggers that Marx predicted that capitalism would ultimately create. (Marx 2002) So, although it seems as though Marx might be irrelevant, if one looks closer they can observe that he was simply ahead of his time and that the economic and resulting political crises that he foresaw have a groundwork in place to come into effect in the relatively near future. Though this analysis has framed the ideas of global trade and free market capitalism in Marxist terms, Marx’s analyses of society can be applied to a myriad of social problems such as crime, poverty in general, or even serial monogamy via the fetishism of commodities. Unfortunately the popular perception of Marx in America has been marred by the stains of the Soviet Union and other pseudo-Marxist movements. The heavy hand of the bourgeoisie that has suppressed, historically, a great number of expressions of Marxist thought, has helped to keep the shutters closed so that the light cannot shine on the problems for all, the proletariat, to see. Chomsky, N. (2006). Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy. New York: Metropolitan Books. Durazo, L. (2000, June). Maquiladora Information. Retrieved May 18, 2007, from Projecto fronterizo de Education Abiental. Marx, K. (2002). Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy: Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, Manifesto of the Communist Party. (S. M. Cahn, Ed.) London, UK: Oxford Press. Sciences, F. f. (Director). (1999). Free Trade Slaves [Motion Picture]. Weller, J. B. (2006). Supersize This: How CEO PAy Took Off While Americas Middle Class Struggled. Center For American Progress . 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