Asynchronous Transfer Mode Essays (1139 words) - Network Protocols

Asynchronous Transfer Mode Asynchronous Transfer Mode: Asynchronous Transfer Mode By Gene Bandy State Technical Institute Asynchronous Transfer Mode: Asynchronous Transfer Mode(ATM) is a high-speed transmission protocol in which data blocks are broken into small cells that are transmitted individually and possibly via different routes in a manner similar to packet-switching technology. In other words, it is a form of data transmission that allows voice, video and data to be sent along the same network. In the past, voice, video and data were transferred using separate networks: voice traffic over the phone, video over cable networks and data over an internetwork. ATM is a cell- switching and multiplexing technology designed to be a fast, general purpose transfer mode for multiple services. It is asynchronous because cells are not transferred periodically. Cells are given time slots on demand. What seperates ATMs is its capability to support multimedia and integrate these services along with data over a signal type of transmission method. The ATM cell is the data unit used to transmit the data. The data is broken into 48-byte data packets for transmission. Five bytes of control data are appended to the 48-byte data packets, forming a 53-byte transmission frame. These frames are then transmitted to the recipient, where the 5-byte control data (or Header) is removed and the message is put back together for use by the system In an ATM network, all data is switched and multiplexed in these cells. Each ATM cell sent into the network contains addressing information that achieves a virtual connection from origination to destination. All cells are then transferred, in sequence, over this virtual connection. Asynchronous Transfer Mode: The header includes information about the contents of the payload and about the method of transmission. The header contains only 5 octets. It was shortened as much as possible, containing the minimum address and control functions for a working system. The sections in the header are a series of bits which are recognized and processed by the ATM layer. Sections included in the header are Generic Flow Control (GFC), Cell Loss Priority (CLP), Payload Type, Header Error Control, the Virtual Path Identifier and the Virtual Channel Identifier. The Header is the information field that contains the revenue bearing payload. A GFC is a 4-bit field intended to support simple implementations of multiplexing. The GFC is intended to support flow control. The CLP bit is a 1-bit field that indicates the loss priority of an individual cell. Cells are assigned a binary code to indicate either high or low priority. A cell loss priority value of zero indicates that the cell contents are of high priority. High priority cells are least likely to be discarded during periods of congestion. Those cells with a high priority will only be discarded after all low priority cells have been discarded. Cell loss is more detrimental to data transmission than it is to voice or video transmission. Cell loss in data transmission results in corrupted files. The Payload Type section is a 3-bit field that discriminates between a cell payload carrying user data or one carrying management information. User data is data of any traffic type that has been packaged into an ATM cell. An example of management Asynchronous Transfer Mode: information is information involved in call set-up. This section also notes whether the cell experienced congestion. The Header Error Control field consists of error checking bits. The Header Error Control field is an 8-bit Cyclic Redundancy Code to check for single bit and some multi-bit errors. It provides error checking of the header for use by the Transmission Convergence (TC) sublayer of the Physical layer. The Virtual Path Identifier in the cell header identifies a bundle of one or more VCs(virtual channels).The Birtual Channel Identifier (VCI) in the cel header identifies a single VC on a paricular Virtual Path. The path is divided into channels. The choice of the 48 byte payload was made as a compromise to accommodate multiple forms of traffic. The two candidate payload sizes were initially 32 and 64 bytes. The size of the cell has and effect on both transmission efficiency and packetization delay. A long payload is more efficient than a small payload since, with a large payload, more data can be transmitted per cell with the same amount

Hip-Hop’s Influence on Society Professor Ramos Blog

Hip-Hop’s Influence on Society The music industry is a huge factor in influencing our sex filled society. Our young generation has such easy access to these songs and is easily influenced by them. The lyrics and videos of Hip-Hop/Rap music manipulate our society’s views of sex. According to a study done by Public Health Reports, it was concluded that â€Å"References to sexual activity are common in popular music, and degrading sexual references are more prevalent than non-degrading references.† Hip Hop/Rap musicians such as Chris Brown promote a particular view of sex. Chris Brown is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.†¯ He is 28 years old and has had many hit songs. One song that he is well known for is â€Å"Privacy.† In his song â€Å"Privacy,† the opening lyrics are I need your body in ways / That you dont understand, but Im losing my patience / Cause weve been going over and over again / Girl, I just wanna take you home and get right to it. Chris Brown is portraying lust in this song. Again, there is no desire for love or emotional attachment. The song portrays only wanting sexual pleasure. In the music video for the song â€Å"Privacy,† there are many women who are acting and dancing in a sexual manner, half dressed and are objectified. The women in these music videos are portrayed as females who would ‘bend over backward literally and figuratively for their man conveying submissiveness and appeasement. Songs and videos like â€Å"Privacy† feed our sex driven society. In the verse â€Å"baby, I promise I won’t tell nobody/ Just as long as you let me hit it like every night† Brown implies just wanting to use women for his desire with the expectation of her pleasing him. In the lyrics â€Å"I promise I won’t tell nobody† the artist suggests that it is okay if she has a significant other, as long as he is pleased every night it would be kept a secret between each other. I believe this generation has become insensitive to cheating with the influence of Hip-Hop artist such as Chris Brown.   The lyrics elaborate further onto â€Å"We don’t need nobody watching us/ No eyes but your eyes/ Ain’t nobody here but you and me.† This goes on further to suggest that cheating is acceptable. In the journal, Mass Communication and Society, an article was published asking the question, â€Å"Does exposure to sexual Hip-Hop music videos influence the sexual attitudes of college students?† (Kistler Lee) In this study, college students were exposed to different degrees of sexual activity, acceptance of the objectification of women, and sexual permissiveness shown in music videos. After five music videos were shown, the results were as followed, â€Å"Male participants who were exposed to hip-hop music videos of high sexual content expressed greater objectification of women and sexual permissiveness.† (Kistler Lee) It is also important to note that the results for female participants were mixed. The music industry has influenced our society to become very sex driven. Many songs and visuals have manipulated our society’s minds on how they think and act. Hip Hop/Rap musicians such as Chris Brown have done so with their songs, videos, and their social influence. In a research study done by the Journal of Adolescent Research published a survey which reveals that there is a close relationship between music preferences, youth attitude, and behaviors. The research surveyed that the youth (ages 17–21) who disclosed their favorite type of music was hip hop or rap, and 72% of them agreed that the music they listen to, in fact, influences them in some way. Many genres and musicians portray their views of sex to society in a manner that many don’t agree with. What can be done about this issue? Is there anything that we can do, or is it up to the musicians to make a change and realize their power of influence? Diamond, S., Bermudez, R., Schensul, J. (2006). What’s the rap about ecstasy? Popular music lyrics and drug trends among American youth. Journal of Adolescent Research 21, 269-298. Michelle E. Kistler Moon J. Lee (2009) Does Exposure to Sexual Hip-Hop Music Videos Influence the Sexual Attitudes of College Students?, Mass Communication and Society, 13:1, 67-86, DOI: 10.1080/15205430902865336 Primack, B., Gold, M., Schwarz, E., and Dalton, M. (2018). Degrading and Non-Degrading Sex in Popular Music: A Content Analysis.

Leadership Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Development Plan - Essay Example The students have an obligation to be faithful, being steadfastly loyal and adhering to duty and true to one's word. Development of self-control to enable the student and the community to grow using self-restraint and good judgment skills in thought, words, and action. Promotion of humility accurately develops good qualities free from pride and arrogance. The state should encourage the value of being kind and appreciative of others placing their priority first. The organization of military and leadership clubs, which provide the integration of faith, based living and military mindset training the students of good leadership skills in the military environment (Akers 61).Indiana State should encourage creation of recognized university student organizations to instill perfect leadership qualities among the college students preparing them for future leadership. The State’s education system considers students first by focusing on the individuals who promote real learning of student s every day. The devotion and hard work of teachers lead to the success of the students in treating them as professionals with the prospect of making great leaders in the future. The Indiana state government should improve the health care system to ensure that all the students are medically sound to access their education without much complication.The Medicare advancements would guarantee the physical health of many students in schools and college while increasing the number of intellectuals in the society.

Adolf Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Adolf Hitler - Essay Example Few of the political leaders of the 20th century have repelled contemporaries more than Adolf Hitler, the dictatorial Leader (Fuhrer) and Reich Chancellor of the so-called ‘Greater German Empire’, or the Third Reich. The actions and policies of his regime led to the atrocities previously unparalleled in human history, and the irrationality of many of his political moves led many to believe that the reason for this must supposedly be sought in the personal dementia of Hitler. However, closer look at the development of his personality and the early years of his political career reveals mediocre but still cunning demagogue, who was far from being mere psychopath. The first years of Hitler’s life were rather unremarkable. He was born in lower-middle class Austrian family, with his father, Alois Hitler, a customs official and his mother, Klara Polzl, a devout and obedient housewife. Despite Hitler’s claims to being born in an impoverished family, his father†™s income actually allowed young Adolf to enter Linz Realschule and begin training for commercial career (Bullock 26). Nevertheless, in spite of superficially ‘normal’ life of Hitler family, the psychological relations within it were rather tense. Alois Hitler was always bitter and temperamental man (Fest 17; Kershaw 43). The submissive stance exhibited by his wife, Klara, allowed Alois to have free rein in disciplining his children, so that the relations in the family was dominated by the stern father figure – a fact that undoubtedly had an impact on making of young Hitler (Kershaw 45). In any case, Adolf left Linz Realschule in 1904, the year after his father’s death, due to his record at this school that was far from spectacular (Bullock 26). In 1905, at the age of 16, Hitler ceased his training, and for the next two years he lived comfortably at the expense of his mother, fantasizing about some future great destiny (Kershaw 51). The death of his moth er led to major change in the life of previously carefree Adolf. Hitler’s previous plans of excelling as an artist proved a failure after his futile attempt to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in October 1907. After the funeral Hitler returned to Vienna to pursue the life of ‘art student’ (Bullock 31). Vienna of those times was a multicultural city that embodied the internal contradictions of the decadent Austro-Hungarian Empire. The old social structure was progressively decomposing itself, with the subdued nationalities claiming rights of self-government and German artisans and petty traders turning to nationalism and especially to Anti-Semitism as a way of rationalising their hostility to competition by numerous Jewish migrants from the eastern lands of the Dual Monarchy that at that time settled in Vienna (Fest 27). Even though Hitler likely became a follower of ideas of German Nationalism in his school years (Bullock 27), it was in Vienna where he be came an enthusiastic partisan of ideas of militant Anti-Semitism then advocated by charismatic Karl Lueger, the leader of Christian Social Party (CS), who was to prove a major influence on the political views of Hitler (Fest 42). According to Fest, despite his less than comfortable life conditions in the men’s houses of Vienna in his destitute years (1908-13), Hitler exhibited nothing but hostility towards revolutionary left-wing movements of his time and paradoxically combined his contempt for bourgeois establishment with a craving to be accepted into it (33). Giblin notes that Hitler had particularly negative opinion of Marxist Social-Democratic Party, believing it to be controlled by the Jews (14). He was especially appalled by the Marxist socio-political doctrine, especially for its denial of organic unity of nation, and by the notion of class struggle (Fest 34). This combination of radical anti-establishment rhetoric with hostility towards political theories that challen ged the notion of social hierarchy as such was characteristic of Hitler’

Professional Learning Communities Research Proposal

Professional Learning Communities - Research Proposal Example (DuFour, 2004, pp.6-11). For Senge, the five key disciplines underlying the concept of PLC include organizational learning, shared vision, mental models, team learning and systems thinking whereas Hord believes these five key elements to be supportive and shared leadership, shared values and vision, collective learning and application of learning, supportive conditions and shared personal practice (Alberta Education, 2006, pp.8 & 9). Since teachers play a key role in the over all accomplishment of any educational institute, they have become the cynosure of professional learning communities where they are considered as learners who are in a constant process of mentoring and being mentored. The reason behind bringing the teachers to the centre of attention is the fact that any kind of improvement happening in any classroom involves the participation of a teacher (Schwarz: 1998). Any development in teachers would not only improve students’ performance but would also motivate the teachers themselves. As a consequence of aggrandizing trend of professional learning communities, the education system has witnessed a considerable phase of amelioration. According to the studies of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, as a result of professional development, the teachers do not confine their lessons to the conventional facts but keep updating their knowledge with latest developments in their fields. Similarly, the teachers do not expect normative feedback but appreciate multiple perspectives from their students. They also design the curriculum in such a way that the knowledge inculcated to the students becomes more thought provoking. In order to elucidate various concepts, they try to extract examples from the real life situations instead to sticking to the text book instances. Through the practice of collegiality facilitated by PLCs, teachers are now able to work in groups in order to share different teaching strategies about

Corporate Social Responsibility In The Banking Sector Finance Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility In The Banking Sector Finance Essay Since ancient times banking practices have always played a significant role in the development and progress within an economy. Banks facilitate financial transactions by collecting deposits from savers and lending loans to those in need of credit. Thus, it enables those that have surplus funds to meet with those who need further funds for expansion and investment purposes. However, it is often the case that mismatches occur between the period at which a depositor wants to save his money and the period at which a borrower would be able to pay up the amount owed by him. Therefore, as an intermediary a bank has to find ways with which to manage the mismatch between short term liabilities of the bank (such as deposits) and long term assets (such as loans). First and foremost a bank needs to be perceived as being trustworthy and thus needs to gain the publics confidence in order to attract financing. It is needless to say that if a particular bank were to go bankrupt, apart from its shareholders, the general public would also suffer considerably. The collapse of a bank might result in the loss of lifetime savings of individuals and families which were held at the particular bank. This would consequently undermine peoples confidence in the financial sector and drive other people to withdraw their money from their own banks which may in turn result in having other sound banks facing serious difficulties to cater for high volumes of withdrawals since a bank in its own nature of doing business holds only a percentage of the funds acquired by depositors and invests the rest in less liquid assets with longer maturities (such as mortgage loans). It is therefore of prominent importance that for an economy to prosper and grow, and thus for the general wellbeing of the whole community, there needs to be at its core a sound and efficient financial system and that the general public also perceives the system to be sound and trustworthy. In trying to address this issue policy makers have sought to achieve healthy financial systems and to promote public confidence through numerous legislations and regulations. In fact, the financial market is one of the most regulated markets in any economy, particularly the banking sector so as to minimise the risks that a bank is exposed to. For decades banks were severely restricted with respect to the services offered to clients, as well as methods allowed for financing and investments. This hindered the ability of banks to be competitive with other financial institutions that were not classified as banks and that had more lax regulations which enabled them to offer a wider range of services and take up more risks to finance their operations. Because the highly regulated financial environment was stifling competition between banks and non-banks, regulators loosened up their regulatory requirements so as to create a level playing field for all the financial institutions. With more lax regulations banks are able to take up more risks and offer a wider range of services to clients meaning also that banks have higher risks to fail or that the publics confidence will be more prone to be undermined because of riskier activities performed by banks. Higher risks and loss of confidence would lead to financial instability and, in some cases, to financial crises where the whole financial market is depressed. This in turn slows down the whole economy since the financial sector is the backbone of an economys financing. It is thought that one of the factors that in fact contributed to the 2008-09 financial crisis was a highly deregulated environment (Shah Gilani, 2005-2011). It is also typical that after financial crises regulators start reviewing their supervisory and regulatory standards and reregulate the industry once again. After the financial crisis of 2008-09 regulators are now imposing new regulations in order to ensure that another world financial crisis is avoided. The new amendments require banks to hold even more capital as a buffer for a given amount of risk it is exposed to than it was already required by law. This process of regulation, deregulation and reregulation is a continuous process that changes as the market itself develops and creates new services and thus is exposed to new risks. Deposit Insurance Agencies are set up for public safety against bank failures. However, in essence it is ultimately the tax-payers themselves that pay the price as the government intervenes to bail-out problematic banks. Because managers running banks are aware of the fact that if the bank fails the government will intervene, it is more likely that they engage in more risky activities and do not exert appropriate due diligence in the running of the business. This problem is known as moral hazard. Thus banks are more likely to engage in hazardous behaviour since if they fail the government will intervene and will not allow the bank to go bankrupt in order to safeguard the public interest. Also, banks are more difficult to have their performance evaluated than other businesses because of the complexity of the business itself. Thus this creates the problem of asymmetric information or, stated in other words, the problem that not everyone has the same opportunities to access the same information. Managers and interns within the banking institution have better information on the performance of the bank than outsiders have access to. This is diminished partially through required disclosure and other regulations that deal with insider dealing in order to promote transparency in the financial markets which again will enhance public confidence. However, it is not the first time that we hear about insider dealings or that disclosure of misleading information was presented to the public. It is therefore clear that although regulation plays an important role in ensuring market stability, efficiency and fairness it is not enough. As John R. Boatright (1999:7) brilliantly describes in his book Ethics in Finance the law is not the only guide within the financial sector. What is legal is not necessarily moral. He then goes on to define the law by saying that it is simply a crude instrument and cannot be used to regulate all financial activities because of their complex nature. Excessive regulation stifles competition, hinders innovation and it is difficult to regulate certain issues that arise within the financial industry such as the issue of conflicts of interests. Therefore self-regulation is nonetheless important in this highly regulated market and the implementation of CSR within the banking industry has yet a unique and special role as much as the role of a bank itself is unique within a community. History: BAnking Practices and Society Banking practices in the past were mainly carried out through the acceptance of gold and deposits to then issue loans with those deposits. Bankers profits consisted mainly in hefty interests received from loans. Bank customers consisted mainly of kings and the papacy during the 1500s up to 1600s and large loans were lent to finance wars and elections. Few can be said with regards to CSR before the 1900s in the implementation of banking practices as is the case with other businesses of the time. However, one may mention the Fugger Family which was one of the greatest banking dynasties after the Medici in the late 16th century. Namely Jacob Fugger established a community for the poor, known as the Fuggerei, which was built in Augsburg in 1519 and is still in use today (Bamber, 2001). This shows evidence of the paternalistic ideology that strongly characterised the economic sphere and business tendencies till the late 1800s. One may also note the great influential power that the banking sector exerted as early as the 16th century as the Fugger family financed Maximilians grandson Charles to bribe his electors; while in the 19th century the Rothschild family financed all of Napoleons enemies. The decisions undertaken by the bankers obviously had an impact on the outcome of events (Bamber, 2001) which shows that from the early stages of the industry banking practices had a strong influence on political, economic and social outcomes. As banking and lending practices were developed, these were not always considered as fair and just as we may know them today. Banks and other financial institutions tended to arbitrarily choose to whom financial services are given, often denying these services to people of colour or the poor. This could be freely done by banks after the process of deregulation giving them more leeway in their practices then before. This discriminatory practice is known as redlining because some bank managers used to arbitrarily mark residential areas occupied by coloured or poor people in red on geographic maps during the 1930s. Areas marked in red were denied financial services and this had a serious impact on urban development since these lacked the funds necessary for investment and developments leading to further urban decay (Boatright, 1999:101). It was not until 1968 that banks were prohibited by law to discriminate on housing lending through the enactment of the Fair Housing Act followed by a series of other regulations thereafter (Hunt, 2005). CSR initiatives developing in the 1950s in the business industry had a ripple affect also on the banking sector were through sanctions and regulations concerning environmental issues on polluting companies banks were also forced indirectly to take action and exercise more attention in the selection of corporate clients in order to safeguard their reputation. The 1980 Superfund in the U.S. and the Directive on Civil Liability for Damage Caused by Waste adopted by the European Commission in 1989 are namely two regulations relating to environmental concern emanating from business operations (IISD, 2010). The Fleet Factors Case of 1990 was one of the first proceedings in the U.S. that directly attributed responsibility for environmental damages caused by their corporate clients as the courts decided that lenders held the capacity to influence the borrowers waste management decisions even if it actually did not do so (IISD, 2010). The UNEP Financial Institutions Initiatives; (UNEP FI) was launched in 1992 with the collaboration of Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Natwest, Royal Bank of Canada and Westpac in an attempt to garner financial institutions to promote awareness on the pivotal role that the financial sector has in sustainable development and environment protection and to unravel further on the relationship between economic development, environmental protection and sustainable developments (UNEP FI, 2011). During the same year the UNEP Statement by Financial Institutions on the Environment Sustainable development was drafted articulating further the role and responsibility taken over by financial institutions in contributing towards sustainable development in businesses and safeguarding the environment (UNEP FI, 2011). Another Green Paper set out by the European Commission in 1993 required that liability was assumed by the polluter and in case where the responsible party is not identified or unable to pay joint compensation funds financed by the industry should meet such costs on their behalf. The commission addressed also the problems of causation and insurability where more responsibility was exerted upon the shoulders of financial institutions (IISD, 2010). The UNEP was a main contributor to spread awareness and foster a socially responsible attitude in the way business was conducted within financial institutions through international round table meetings and global surveys on the environmental practices of the financial services sector (IISD, 2010). Thus, banks started experiencing more pressure to avoid the so called sin stocks and pay attention to the social performance of corporate clients and not only to financial performance. Many other international guidelines have been developed recently and it is important not to forget to mention the contribution of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) which is a member of the World Bank Group towards sustainable development and in promoting fair, open and competitive markets in order to fight poverty (IFC, 2010). Their common shared values found on the IFC website are depicted as follows: To fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results. To help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity, and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. In 2003 the IFC drafted the Equator Principles, a set of guidelines that may be voluntarily adopted by banks aimed to facilitate and aid these institutions wishing to carry out operations in a socially responsible manner. Essentially, the Equator Principles are nothing more than a financial industry benchmark for determining, assessing and managing social environmental risk in project financing (The Equator Principles, 2006). The Principles are targeted towards the financing of corporate clients whose investment projects are environmentally and socially responsible and include also advisory services offered by financial institutions with regards to project financing.  [1]   Who Cares Wins was an initiative undertaken by the financial industry, the UN Global Compact, IFC and the Swiss Government during 2004 (UN Global Compact, IFC, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, 2009, 2010:3). According to this report, the main aim of this initiative is to support the financial industrys efforts to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into mainstream investment decision-making and ownership practices through a series of high-level meetings with investment professionals. Again, here the goal is that of promoting socially responsible project financing through SRI. The United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (PRI) are a set of six principles set up in 2005 in collaboration with some of the worlds largest institutional investors (UNPRI, 2011). This initiative was set up in partnership with the UNEP FI and the UN Global Compact. These principles posit the idea that since environmental, social and corporate governance issues may affect the performance of investment portfolios, thus it is important that an investor takes these issues into consideration when making investment decisions and therefore contribute also to the general wellbeing of society (UNPRI, 2011). One may mention numerable banks that are truly committed towards the maxim of doing well by doing the right thing and that actively participate with International NGOs to contribute towards the general wellbeing of communities. Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, and UBS are amongst the most known environmentally and socially driven banks in Europe. For the purpose of this thesis I will now proceed on to scrutinising and analysing the CSR policies of the banks mentioned to then compare them with those policies of three leading Maltese banks namely APS Bank, Bank of Valletta (BOV), and HSBC Malta in a later chapter. All information related to the CSR initiatives undertaken by the foreign and Maltese banks selected was extracted from their respective websites and CSR Reports. The main aim is to evaluate the transparency adopted by the Maltese banks and thus the extent to which they inform the general public in the way they go about their commitments towards society relative to well-establish ed and successful foreign banks. CSR Policies of Foreign Banks This section will give an insight on how some foreign banks known as being committed towards sustainable development, environmental and socially responsible project financing are currently engaging in CSR policies in order to achieve their goals and manage to be profitable and attract business by undertaking such activities given the existing highly competitive environment from other financial and non-financial institutions. For the purpose of this dissertation, the three foreign banks chosen are headquartered within the European Union territory since the Maltese way of doing business is very similar to the way it is conducted in Europe even CSR-wise and therefore it will facilitate comparison between foreign and Maltese banks. Furthermore, HSBC Holdings was selected specifically since it is the parent company of HSBC Malta which will be discussed in detail in the next chapter. Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank is a leading German and European financial institution successfully expanding its business globally with a work force of over 100,000 employees in 74 countries and offering a vast selection of financial services worldwide (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011). Deutsche Bank mission statement can be found on its official website as follows: We compete to be the leading global provider of financial solutions, creating lasting value for our clients, our shareholders, our people and the communities in which we operate. From the mission statement itself we may denote that the bank is committing itself not only towards its shareholders, clients and employees but their mindset is also headed for the benefit of the communities and their social needs. The banking institution has also formulated a set of values which drive its business orientation. One of these values set out on the banks website is trust where the bank claims confidently its trustworthiness, reliability and honesty. Other values mentioned are performance, teamwork, innovation, and client focus. Finally, the bank also promises stakeholders that the corporation will be operating with responsibility, keeping in mind not only current factors and issues in their decision making but also future consequences and factors that may arise due to todays decisions (Deutsche Bank AG, 2010). We may note by glancing briefly at the way the bank presents itself that it already carefully depicts itself as being socially and environmentally responsible in all aspects of its structural organisation. This however, is nothing new as all businesses especially banking institutions wish to be alleged as being ethical, trustworthy, honest and socially responsible so as to foster public confidence in their business. The bank has also received numerous awards or been ranked first for several social, environmental and corporate governance categories during 2010 some of which include Environmental Rankings, Art and Work Awards, and Top Companies that Care among others. In 2011 the bank has already been awarded the Charity Organisation of the Year 2010 and the European Employee Volunteering Awards 2011 (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011). Deutsche bank is renowned for its CSR initiatives internationally nurturing social and environmental awareness while working to alleviate such issues in communities where it operates. According to the banks official website (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011), Deutsche Bank focuses its CSR strategy in the areas of corporate volunteering, social investments, art music and education. The Communications CSR function is responsible of the banks global CSR initiatives followed by the approval of such initiatives by the Chairman of the Management Board (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011). Coordination of CSR operations is prepared at headquarters and then delegated to and implemented locally by the institutions regional teams (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011). This ensures effectiveness and efficiency through its initiatives and as perceived by the bank itself, it makes sure that it is acting as a responsible corporate citizen showing quite clearly that the bank favours and adopts the Corporate Citizenship Theory expl ained in the first chapter of this thesis. Deutsche Bank has set up ten CSR units in total till now dispersed globally which are namely the Deutsche Bank Foundation, Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, Corporate Citizenship UK, Deutsche Bank Africa Foundation, Deutsche Bank Asia Foundation, Deutsche Bank Mena Foundation, Alfred Herrhausen Society, Historical Association of Deutsche Bank, Transatlantic Outreach Program (TOP), and finally Deutsche Bank Donation Fund (Deutsche Bank AG, 2010). Through these organisations the bank manages its CSR operations worldwide and creates what the bank calls social capital through sustainability, corporate volunteering, social investments, art music, and education (Deutsche Bank AG, 2011); thus, the bank is CSR oriented at all levels of its operational, and organisational structure. Figure 2.1  [2]  : CSR at Deutsche BankFounded: 1992 Budget 2009: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 3.2 m. The non-profit Alfred Herrhausen Society is the international forum of Deutsche Bank. Its work focuses on new forms of governance as a response to the challenges of the 21st century. The Alfred Herrhausen Society seeks traces of the future in the present, and conceptualizes relevant themes for analysis and debate. It works with international partners across a range of fields including politics, academia, and business to organize forums for discussion worldwide. www.alfred-herrhausen-society.org/en The banks total investments for the year end 2009 amounted to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬81.1 million of which 39% were invested in social investments, 29% were attributed to education and 27% were allocated to art and music (see figure 2.2 below). Deutsche banks investments were mainly targeted towards Germany, with total investments amounting to 45% at the end of 2009, followed by the Americas at 23%, and 12% of these funds were allocated to Asia Pacific and the UK. Deutsche Banks investments in Europe/Middle East and Africa amounted to only 8% of the funds (see figure 2.3 below). Figure 2.2  [3]  Figure 2.3  [4]   Regional split of total CSR investments Share of total investments per area of activity Kate Cavelle, Director of Corporate Citizenship at Deutsche Bank in the UK, stated that the four main reasons why investment banks care about CSR are social responsibility, staff motivation, client and public perception during an interview conducted by The Gateway in 2010. She also argued that at Deutsche Bank it is recognised that the bank should be highly committed towards CSR. In the UK, Deutsche Bank engages in initiatives such as promoting education so that young people may reach their full potential (The Gateway, 2010). Social Investments undertaken by the bank also include work with the homeless and unemployed persons and works closely with several other UK organisations such as the Globe Theatre and Design Museum. The bank also supports young artists through the sale of art acquired by the bank while keeping employee morale high by changing its art collections through time (The Gateway, 2010). Deutsche Bank is also involved in a microfinance programme where loans are granted with lower interest rates to persons who otherwise would not be able to be granted any credit. According to Kate this is also a good and safe investment undertaken by the bank and thus microfinance is beneficial for the business as well. The bank also encourages employees to get involved in voluntary work and helps out in finding activities that employees may engage in (The Gateway, 2010). On another note, according to an article written in the Financial Times of 23rd March, 2011, Deutsche Bank was sued for breaching its duties when the bank sold a complex interest rate product to a corporate client. The bank was fined à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬541,000 to compensate for the damages inflicted on the client as judge Ulrich Wiechers claimed that the bank should have been clearer when advising the client about the risks involved. Apparently the bank is involved in other eight similar cases at the federal court level involving complex financial instruments known as swaps while it has 17 cases at lower courts (The Financial Times, 2011). This may indicate that although the bank is highly committed and publicly declares its commitments towards sustainable business in its operations, there is still some work to be done in implementing such goals in the day to day transactions and operations undertaken by the bank. HSBC Holdings HSBC is one of the largest financial institutions in the world and is headquartered in London. It operates in 87 countries across the globe. According to the banks official website the bank was established in 1865 to cater for the increasing trade between China and Europe and was named after its founder which is The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. The bank offers a wide range of financial services to cater for different customer needs including Personal Financial Services, Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Private Banking (HSBC Holdings plc, 2011). The banks values can be summarised into four concise points found on its official website. HSBC is open to different ideas and cultures; connected with its customers, community and each other; and finally dependable and doing the right thing (HSBC Holdings, 2011). The bank is thus promoting itself as embracing an inclusive environment between employees, and has effective and efficient communication throughout all levels of the organisation including communication with its stakeholders while undertaking sustainable and responsible business practices. By managing risks the bank aims at addressing business opportunities in a sustainable manner and by taking into consideration present and future impacts upon the environment and communities, in particular poorer areas (HSBC Holdings plc, 2011). The bank is also enlisted and involved in a number of external organisations among which are the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNEP FI, UN Global Compact, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Global Sullivan Principles, OECD Principles for Multinational Enterprises and the Equator Principles (HSBC Holdings plc, 2011). HSBC believes that through robust business and sustainable revenues it is also primarily contributing towards the economy, the environment and to the communities and hence, maximising also stakeholder needs (HSBC Holdings, 2011). This statement, in my opinion, is almost synonymous with the arguments put forward in the SVT Theory and Adam Smiths invisible hand that by maximising shareholder wealth, one is also contributing to the benefit of the other stakeholders automatically. The bank is also involved with NGOs so that it may identify how to manage better sustainable risk, while it also works with NGOs to raise financial awareness and help customers on how to manage their finances, thus reducing risks of loan defaulting and keep their home ownership, while of course reducing further the banks risks related to these loans (HSBC Holdings, 2011). According to the banks website, it also engages in SRI investments and responds to several surveys and indices from various organisations. HSBC considers managing the environmental and social impacts of providing finance to our customers as part of business as usual. (HSBC Holdings, 2011). Thus, HSBC describes its commitment towards CSR through the assessment of their corporate clients as being ingrained in the nature of their business, and it seems that the bank acknowledges that this is the right way of doing business. Apart from abiding by the Equator Principles, HSBC has also set up a set of risk policies for sensitive areas such as chemicals, defence, energy etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (HSBC Holdings, 2011). Through its financial services operations the bank is committed to reducing carbon emissions and because climate change impacts directly the banks customers and its own operations, according to the official website, the bank perceives that it is of utmost importance that these issues are included in its strategies. The bank also engages with microfinance institutions (MFIs) which provide loans and other services to cust omers. According to the HSBC official website, in India the bank is working with 11 MFIs to provide for financial services to people in rural and urban areas (HSBC Holdings, 2011). The bank also provides for financial services in rural areas situated in China making it easier for farmers and people living in these areas to access such services. The bank also provides for funds in constructing better water infrastructures (HSBC Holdings, 2011). The bank feels that it is contributing towards the communities it operates in by providing services to clients, employment, meeting its regulatory obligations and other obligations to suppliers, investments in local business and through financial donations or voluntary work and in this way it also secures its success as a bank (HSBC Holdings, 2011). Following to the information found on its website the bank allocated the sum of $100 million to community investments as at the year ending 2009. The bank entered into a partnership with SOS Childrens Villages in 2006 and established Future First to aid less fortunate children around the world with their educational needs. This initiative has expanded significantly throughout the years and over 500,000 children benefit from this programme around the globe (HSBC Holdings, 2011). JA More Than Money is an initiative monitored in promoting financial awareness among the youth and is run by HSBC volunteers. Children attending this educational p rogramme range from seven to eleven years old. The bank has also set up other programmes namely the HSBC Climate Partnership which is a five year programme targeted to reduce climate change and its impacts on society and the environment and HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative to raise awareness in school on climate change and what action can be taken to reduce its impacts (HSBC Holdings, 2011). In the section dedicated to sustainability reporting on the official website of HSBC one may find a number of sustainability reports. The following table was extracted from the HSBC Holdings plc Sustainability Report for 2009 illustrating the implementation of the Equator Principles in the granting of loans. Table 2.1  [5]  : Adoption of Equator Principles in the Granting of Loans The bank granted only 5 loans which fall under Category A, meaning that these loans may have adverse social or environmental impacts that are diverse, irreversible or unprecedented. Although small in number, the bank still granted such loans to its clients, with a total value of 1,296 almost 7 times larger than the value granted in 2008 of 178. In 2009 the Category B and Category C amounted for the most part of loans granted by the bank. Figure 2.4  [6]  : Division of Clients Compliance with HSBC Environmental Policies Most of the clients comply with HSBCs policy totalling 75% and amounting to 82% in loan value while there are still some clients that do not comply at all with this policy even though these are very small in number and even smaller in value. The banks community investments where mainly allocated towards education, which amounted to 45% while 29% where allocated to environmental investments as illustrated in figure 2.5. The bank also encourages employees to engage in voluntary work, and it works towards reducing carbon emissions on its premisses (HSBC, 2009:16). Figure 2.5  

sayings of jesus :: essays research papers

THE HARD SAYINGS OF JESUS  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHAPTERS 1-20   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Christian and a bible student there is on greater subject than Jesus. No other person has effected history more than Jesus; some say he was a prophet, some say he was a great teacher, and others just think he was crazy. But, to those of us who know him to be the Son of God it is very important to understand his teachings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Jesus ministry on earth he made a number of statements that went misunderstood both then and now. However it is important as followers of Christ to understand the teachings of his ministry. The author of this book starts off with one of Jesus’ toughest sayings. The saying is found in John 6:53 were he says that, â€Å"unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.† To an orthodox Jew this comes off as pure heresy. The Law of Moses forbids cannibalism and drinking blood. However the writer explains this statement as a gradual revelation of who He was. The writer, F.F. Bruce started with the feeding of the 5,000 on (pg 21) and the walking on the water, then in a teaching in the synagogue about manna (Exodus 16:13-36 or Numbers11: 4-9). The story of the woman at the well, also pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Bread of Life and the Living water.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another saying of Jesus that proved his power and authority on earth to forgive sins found in Mark 2:10, â€Å"The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.† This saying of Jesus occurred before the healing of the paralytic. He was lowered in to the house were Jesus was at by his four friends. The reason the author gave for this being a hard saying is that only a spokesmen of God could say that god has forgiven their sins and they did not see Jesus as such authority.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have noticed in Jesus ministry that he was often more strict than the Law; for example in Matthew chapter five Jesus makes a series of statements that start with, â€Å"For you have heard it was said ______ but I say______.† Jesus addresses the subjects of murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, and retaliation or vengeance. It is in these dialogs that it is painfully obvious that the Sadducees did not understand the law.

A Collection of Essays by George Orwell

Book Review [pic] Essays of Orwell [pic] George Orwell (1903 – 1950) [pic] Edited by : M. G. Nayar Review done by : [pic] Fahimuddin Shaikh Roll no. 44 R. H. Patel English Medium B. Ed. College Kadi Sarva VishwaVidyalaya Campus, Sector 23, Gandhinagar. Year 2007-2008 Introduction : 1) The Aims of Book review : The book-review is appreciating, analyzing and criticizing a book wherein the reviewer goes through the book comprehensively to come out with his own ideas about the book and its value in terms of its internal and external features i. e. he content, subject-matter, theme, language, target appropriateness, impact upon the readers, the ability of the writer to convey his ideas and intention behind his work as well as the composing, binding, price, size and other physical features of the book. 2) Objectives of Book review : 1. The students develop writing skill by preparing notes. 2. The students develop interest in reading. 3. The students develop the reading skill. 4. The students acquire the hobby to develop the attitude of reading. 5. The students organize their thoughts. 6. The students get to know the nature of the book. 3) Importance of Book review : It enriches the knowledge. It enriches the language. It improves the skill of reading, writing and presentation. It develops the thinking ability. (4 ) Advantages of Book review : As B. Ed. is a new field for teacher-trainees to get acquainted with various types of books, the book-review enables them to acquire necessary skills of reading, writing, appreciating, criticizing and presentation. (5) Title of the book : The title of the book selected for the book-review is ‘Essays of Orwell’ edited by M. G. Nayar. (6) The aims of selecting a particular book : Selection of a particular book depends upon the need and the interest of the reviewer. The reviewer can review the book which he liked the most regarding the content or idea of the book. Or he can review a book to appreciate a particular work of art or literature or some useful information given in the book. I have selected ‘Essays of Orwell’ which is a compilation of essays written by George Orwell (1903-1950) in a very simple and lucid language. The aim of my selecting the ‘Essays of Orwell’ for the book-review is that the author shares his real-life experiences written with great earnestness and with the purpose of exposing, ridiculing and reforming the evils that prevailed in his age. Also the essays brings out the author’s extraordinary wide range of taste and concerns – like social, cultural literary, political and autobiographical. External features of the book : 1) Name of the book : The name of the book selected for the book-review is ‘Essays of Orwell’ and is edited by M. G. Nayar. 2) Name and detail of the author : The author of the book is George Orwell, one of the most prominent essayists of the 20th century. Eric Arthur Blair, who later became famous as George Orwell, was born at Motihari in Bengal where his father Richard Blair was employed in the Customs and Excise Department of the Government of India. pic] Orwell was sent to England at a very early age and he saw very little of his father till he returned to England on his retirement. His early years were very unhappy; he was lonely and had few playmates or companions. He had two sisters, a father and a mother all of whom were no closer to him. They were poor and the family depended solely on Mr. Blair’s small pension which was barely enough to keep up appearances. They found an exclusive preparatory school in the south coast, which was prepared to take the promising boy at a concessional rate in the expectation that he would win a scholarship and bring credit to the school. The lonely and sensitive boy had a very unhappy time in this school run by a snobbish headmaster and his equally snobbish wife. They never missed any opportunity to remind him that his parents were poor and that he was there through their charity. Orwell gives a vivid description of his school (under the fictional name Crossgates) and his sufferings there in his long essay satirically titled Such, Such were the Days’. He tells us : â€Å"I had no money, I was weak, I was ugly, I was unpopular, I had a chronic cough, I was cowardly, I smelt†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. † The humiliations inflicted on the sensitive and self-conscious boy in his wretched school by his bullying classmates as well as by those in authority left a deep scar on his soul. But from his childhood he had made up his mind to become a writer. He writes in his ‘Why I Write’, â€Å"From the very early age, perhaps the age of five or six, I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer. Between the ages of about seventeen and twenty-four I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books. Writing would also enable him to answer two compelling needs of his nature, namely, to fight against injustice and oppression in all its forms, and to take upon himself the sins of the world and make atonement. Orwell essays show his deep concern with contemporary reality and its awareness of its sordid aspects. In other words we may say that it’s a fruit of his endeavour to remove various evils to reform the world around him so as to make it a better place to live in. Apart from essay Orwell is also known for his novels. Orwell shot into world-wide fame with the publication in 1945 of ‘Animal Farm’, a brilliant Swiftian satire on Russian Stalinism, authoritarian government and human fallibility and brutality. One of his most popular novels is ‘1984’ which presents a striking spectacle of totalitarianism in action. 3) Name of the Publisher and Edition : The book is published by ‘Macmillan India Limited’ and edited by M. G. Nayar. It was first published in the year 1980 and it has been reprinted in 1981, 1986 and 1994. 4) Cover page and Back page : The cover page is green-coloured thick paper with its title ‘Essays of ORWELL’ printed upon it inside a hexagonal white border. At the top is written the name of the publisher and at the bottom is the name of the editor. The back page is a plain white thick paper with the name of the publisher written on it. 5) Price of the book : The price of the book is Rs. 28. 00 6) No. of pages and no. of chapters : The book runs into 159 pages along with 11 pages of introduction at the beginning. The book consists of 12 essays on different subjects. 7) Binding of the book : The book is loosely bound with gum. The cover page is not strong enough to hold the pages of the book with the gum. 8) Fonts – shapes and size, printing size of the book : The fonts of the book are readable and have appropriate size. Proper line-spacing is given between the lines for a comfortable reading. The book is a pocket-size one and easy to carry. internal features of the book : (a)Theme of the book : The theme of the book ‘Essays of Orwell’ is promoting the moral responsibilities among people. Orwell feels disgusted with the intellectual dishonesty and moral depravity of his times and feels regret over the loss of sound values. He revolts against the various ills of his age, like injustice, inequality and loss of individual freedom. The theme of the book revolves round the idea to reform the people by inculcating the ideas of decency, integrity and intellectual liberty. b) Chapterisation : The book consists of 12 essays each of which are interesting and poised with the author’s qualitative analysis of the situations of the new world order. The central idea of some of the important essays are as follows : Essay I. Reflections on Gandhi : George Orwell showers praises on Mahatma Gandhiji referring to his autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth’. The essay enables to see how the Western rationalist views the life an doctrines of the Mahatma whose life the author considers as a sort of pilgrimage in which every act was significant. Even though he fought against the mighty British Empire through the principle of non-violence the British officials who spoke of him with a mixture of amusement and disapproval also genuinely liked and admired him. Orwell stating Gandhi’s qualities says, â€Å"Nobody ever suggested that he was corrupt, or ambitious in any vulgar way, or that anything he did was actuated by fear or malice. † He further says, â€Å"His character was an extraordinarily mixed one, but there was almost nothing in it that you can put your finger on and call bad, and I believe that even Gandhi’s worst enemies would admit that he was an interesting and unusual man who enriched the world simply by being alive. † While admiring Gandhiji’s uncommon physical courage, his incorruptibility and political integrity, Orwell finds in the high moral values held scared by Gandhiji, especially in the doctrine of non-attachment, a vein of anti-humanism – a quality which made him more saintly than human. Orwell ends the essay by the remark, â€Å"†¦.. but regarded simply as a politician, and compared with the other leading political figures of our time, how clean a smell he has managed to leave behind. † Essay II. Shooting an Elephant : This essay enables us to get a glimpse of the author’s experiences in Burma where he was employed in the British Imperial Police (1922-1927). Orwell had already come to regard imperialism ‘as very largely a racket’. And he knew he was ill fitted for the role he was called upon to play. During this period of Imperial service a sense of guilt continually haunted him. While secretly he condemned imperialism as an evil, he was embittered by the anti-European sentiment among the natives who hated him as a representative of British Imperialism. The incident described here brought home to him the tyranny that imperialism imposes on the ruler as well as the ruled. It was as he marched at the head of an expectant crowd, rifle in hand, to shoot the mad elephant, that the irony of his own position struck him. He instinctively recoiled from the destructive act to which he had committed himself, but, should he fail to carry it out, he knew he would be ridiculed by the crowd that followed him. It was therefore imperative that he should impress them in order to be considered firm, fearless, imperturbable and capable of rising to the occasion in a crisis. Torn between the immediate need to play the ‘Sahib’ and his own ingrained aversion to the role thrust upon him, he set about the task of shooting the elephant, though it had never been his intention to kill the animal. Finding himself thus caught between two tyrannies – the tyranny of the ruler and the tyranny of the ruled that seemed to push him to and fro as if he were an absurd puppet – he realized the futility of Imperialism that deprives the tyrant himself of his free will. Essay III. You and the Atom Bomb : This essay was first published in the Tribune (19 October 1945). Here Orwell discusses the effect of the power that a sophisticated weapon is likely to bestow on the strong and affluent nations and the consequent threat to the freedom of the weaker ones. The more complex and expensive a weapon is, the more are the chances of its becoming the monopoly of the state and the more likely it is to keep its people under subjection. In the past, as the major weapons were accessible to the people, they could rise in revolt against despotic governments. But the atomic bomb, being expensive and difficult to manufacture, will ever remain a rare weapon under state control and any revolt of the exploited classes will be rendered more and more difficult in future. And if the number of states possessing the bomb increases, it is unlikely that they will use it against one another, but they will tend to be despotic within and aggressive without, and as a result the poorer nations which cannot afford to make it will always be in danger of losing their freedom. In these circumstances, a reimposition of slavery like that of ancient Rome and Greece is a possibility that cannot be wholly ruled out. Essay IV. How the Poor Die This is a chapter from the author’s days of penury and vagrancy in Paris. Here, Orwell tells us of his experience in a French hospital where he was treated for pneumonia in 1929. From his own bed in the dingy public ward of Hospital X in Paris, he could watch everything that went on around him with a gently critical eye. The poor died of disease and neglect, getting very little by way of real medical aid or human sympathy. The account we ger of the patients, doctors, nurses, and of the whole sordid atmosphere of the ward reads almost like the pages of a novel. The primitive conditions of the hospital – callous indifference of the doctors and nurses who regarded the patients as nothing more than ‘specimen’ – reminded him which used to be houses of torture rather than centres of healing. The entire picture is painted with a certain degree of detachment, devoid of any cynicism or sentimentality, but marked by a fine sense of humour. Essay V. New Words In this essay (1940), Orwell dwells on the need to coin new words to communicate certain feelings that are too subtle for expression. He feels that there is a considerable province of human experience that lies beyond the descriptive power of words, especially aesthetic and moral feeling, our likes and dislikes and all that concerns our inner life. Orwell here discusses the possibility of bridging these gaps in language by inventing new words. He refers to certain methods, by which words may be coined, the source of methods like analogy, onomatopoeia and slang. Orwell hopes that large numbers of people apply themselves to the task of inventing new words on the basis of common experience so that we world be able to overcome the verbal inadequacy and ‘give an objective existence’ to our thoughts. Essay VI. Propaganda and Demotic Speech : The paradox about modern propaganda is its unintelligibility and its consequent failure to impress the audience it is aimed at. According to Orwell, this is due to the fact that the language used for the purpose has nothing to do with thelanguage of the common man. There is, in every language, a lot of difference between its written and spoken forms, but in English this difference is so glaring that the bookish language of Government leaflets or party pamphlets very often fails to get across, and succeeds at best only in creating vague and sometimes, erroneous impressions on the ordinary man. Eminent writers like Harold Laski also are guilty of this sin. Orwell says that, in order to appeal to the ordinary man, neither high-sounding words nor ’the educated accent’ which is viewed suspiciously by the working classes as an upper-class affectation, will serve as a vehicle of communication. The language of propaganda, to be effective, must be brought closer to the language of the common man. A truly democratic government that needs to educate the public on matters of national interest will necessarily have to choose the right words and adopt the right tone – the vocabulary and tone of a genuinely demotic speech. Essay VII. The Writing of History : Orwell in his essay discusses the question of objectivity in the writing of history. It often happens that some of the facts of history get so mixed up with falsehood as to become indistinguishable from lies. Orwell cites certain verifiable facts of recent history which have, within a brief period of time, undergone such distortion. Truth, which is of paramount importance in the recording of events, seems to be at the mercy of ‘might’ and the modern tendency to tamper with truth is likely to make the task of the future historian complex as well as difficult. Essay VIII. Bookish Memories : After his return to England from Paris, before he could earn enough to live on his writings, in the early thirties, Orwell worked as a part-time assistant in a London bookshop, where he worked for about a year. Though it was drudgery for him, he had opportunities of observing customers of various kinds, including eccentrics, their habits and tastes. Here he records his impressions of such people with a half-humorous, half-indulgent attitude which, incidentally, enables us to get a glimpse into his own tastes and habits of reading. The essay reveals one curious face – that Orwell lost his love of books. The changing literary tastes of the reading public are also brought out. Essay IX. The English Character : In this essay Orwell perceptively analyzes the general characteristics of the English people with a remarkable degree of objectivity. The usual generalizations about the English character are vitiated by pre-conceived notions of the British aristocracy that is often drawn upon to typify the national image. Orwell draws our attention to the hitherto ignored majority – the English commoners – whose exclusion from the picture has so far tended to perpetuate misleading notions about the race as a whole. The racial characteristics described like artistic insensibility, xenophobia, snobbery and hypocrisy are common to the entire race. The picture that emerges is no idealized image but a true one, as sharp and well defined as the reflection in an undistorting mirror held up before English humanity as a whole, apt to jolt them out of their complacency rather than flatter their national pride. Essay X. The Moral Outlook of the English People : In this essay Orwell draws our attention to the moral sense of the English people. While the majority of the English people are indifferent to organized religion, some of the ethical aspects of Christianity do appeal to them still. In this age of power-politics, they cling to the belief that might is not right – a truly Christian principle, though it is not one among the Biblical doctrines. That England has always supported the cause of the weak against the strong even when it was disadvantageous to them shows that the English do not subscribe to the power cult. They are neither prudish nor lax about matters of sex, gambling and drinking. Violence of any sort is repellent to the English. They have an ingrained respect for the law and human liberty. The vaunted freedom of the press in England may largely be an illusion, but freedom of speech is a reality. The English people are never afraid to give expression to their opinions in public, but then they are never fanatic because they lack conviction, and being a phlegmatic race they are not easily roused to action. Essay XI. The English Class System : Class distinctions are a vestige of the past still clinging to English society. The aristocracy of the feudal age was replaced by the nobility of the later periods, and the titled class today commands a certain respect, probably because of its traditional integrity, though its importance has been steadily dwindling with the rise of the rich middle class. By adopting the habits and manners of the nobility, the rich middle class tends to become indistinguishable from the upper class. At the lower level, despite the antagonism in the political field, the working classes which are not entirely free from snobbishness try to imitate the middle class in speech, manners and dress. There is also a large section of classless people – the technically educated persons. Thus both at the top and the bottom, a sort of levelling process has been at work. On the whole, the general trend seems to be towards the blurring of class distinctions, though essentially English society remains what it used to be in the nineteenth century. Essay XII. Why I Write : In this essay originally written in 1946 for publication in the journal Gangrel, Orwell discusses the impulses that prompted him to take to creative writing as a profession. The motives that urged him to turn author are mainly those that urge every artist, namely, egoism and aesthetic pleasure. Like other writers, Orwell too had a passion for truth. What he calls the historical impulse is his concern for truth – the truth about things as they are. In Orwell’s case, it was chiefly a concern for finding the truth about political institutions and movements as he understood them. In fact, the political purpose was strong and it bestowed on his writings a certain verve without affecting his aesthetic and intellectual integrity. c) Presentation of Content : George Orwell in his essays has presented the issues that concerned him during the 1940s. In these essays we find considerations of the totalitarian impulse, the quality of modern intellectual life, the nature of modern art, nationalism, and the emergence of the new managerial society. All the essays are inter-connected as they are concerned with the real life and invites the readers to ponder upon certain subtle issues concerning the human life. They are all essays in thought and maintain a sequence of thought. Orwell has presented the content in his essays in the neutral style, good, limpid, contemporary, and it was always equal to its purposes. Within what seems a narrow range, he showed virtuosity in the different ‘timings’. He managed diligently the narrative, descriptive, critical, denunciatory and straight exposition from his life. Due to this he is also successful to reach to the target-groups from various cross-section of the society. d) Content Validity : The content of the essays of Orwell has direct validity to the aims of his purpose. The subject as well as the content has been aptly justified with the references and context to the situations. Orwell has presented his real life incidents with an aim to expose the hypocrisy of the powerful nations as well as the snobberies of the upper-class people. e) Language : Lucidity and clarity are the two main features of Orwell’s prose style. He disliked all vagueness and ambiguity in thought and is clear and straightforward in his thinking. Often he writes the slangy, colloquial English, mostly his prose is that of the journalist. Moreover, we also do not find unnecessary ornamentation and use of a figurative language, rather he has frequently made use of apt metaphors and images that enhances the beauty of his writing. John Atkins rightly observed, â€Å"Orwell’s campaign was therefore for a language that should be both pure and subtle, flexible and simple. † ) Justification of the Title of the Book : The title of the book ‘Essays of Orwell’ is apt and appropriate as it contains the selected essays written by George Orwell. g) Other features depending upon material selected : The book also consists of the short summary of each of the essays along with the glossary and the unfamiliar words at the end. Overall evaluat ion : In ‘Essays of Orwell’ we find a direct expression of Orwell’s ideas. Both quantitatively and qualitatively, his essays stand favourable comparision with the essays of the prominent essayists of modern times, like Gardiner, Chesterton, Stevenson, Huxley and others. The essay is the dominant literary form employed by Orwell throughout the later half of his writing career. As in his other works, so in his essays there is the frequent intrusion of the author and a direct expression of his ideas. According to B. T. Huxley, â€Å"The real backbone of his work is to be found in the essays – a form of writing mainly characterized by just such a personal intrusion on the part of the author. † Some of the best work of Orwell is to be found in his essays. They constitute a valuable comment on criticism of contemporary life. Though he was a professed socialist he did not accept a party line. He is quite sincere and honest about what he sys, and does not hesitate to criticize the terrors of fellow socialists and the short-comings of socialism. Orwell says, â€Å"To write in plain, vigorous language, one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly, one can not be politically orthodox. † John Atkins also says, â€Å"Orwell’s uniqueness lay in his having the mind of an intellectual and the feelings of a common man. † To conclude we can say that the book makes an interesting reading for all the people who think.

Definition and Examples of Cause and Effect in Essays

Definition and Examples of Cause and Effect in Essays Definition In composition, cause and effect is a method of paragraph or essay development in which a writer analyzes the reasons for- and/or the consequences of- an action, event, or decision. A cause-and-effect paragraph or essay can be organized in various ways. For instance, causes and/or effects  can be arranged in either chronological order or reverse chronological order. Alternatively, points can be presented in terms of emphasis, from least important to most important, or vice versa. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: 50 Essay Topics: Cause EffectAffect and EffectArgumentationGamblers FallacyPost Hoc FallacySentence Combining Exercise #7: Out of the Ice Age Sentence Combining Exercise #8: How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading Examples of Cause Effect Paragraphs and Essays Cause and Effect in The Dream Animal by Loren EiseleyCause and Effect in Stephen Kings Horror MoviesChanges by Peter MatthiessenCorn-Pone Opinions by Mark TwainThe Decay of Friendship by Samuel JohnsonThe Hurricane by John James Audubon Learning to Hate Mathematics: A Cause Effect Essay Examples and Observations If you prove the cause, you at once prove the effect; and conversely nothing can exist without its cause.(Aristotle, Rhetoric) Immediate Causes and Ultimate CausesDetermining causes and effects is usually thought-provoking and quite complex. One reason for this is that there are two types of causes: immediate causes, which are readily apparent because they are closest to the effect, and ultimate causes, which, being somewhat removed, are not so apparent and may perhaps even be hidden. Furthermore, ultimate causes may bring about effects which themselves become immediate causes, thus creating a causal chain. For example, consider the following causal chain: Sally, a computer salesperson, prepared extensively for a meeting with a client (ultimate cause), impressed the client (immediate cause), and made a very large sale (effect). The chain did not stop there: the large sale caused her to be promoted by her employer (effect).(Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz, Models for Writers, 6th ed. St . Martins Press, 1998) Composing a Cause/Effect EssayFor all its conceptual complexity, a cause/effect essay can be organized quite simply. The introduction generally presents the subject(s) and states the purpose of the analysis in a clear thesis. The body of the paper then explores all relevant causes and/or effects, typically progressing from least to most influential or from most to least influential. Finally, the concluding section summarizes the various cause/effect relationships established in the body of the paper and clearly states the conclusions that can be drawn from those relationships.(Kim Flachmann, Michael Flachmann, Kathryn Benander, and Cheryl Smith, The Brief Prose Reader. Prentice Hall, 2003) Causes of Child ObesityMany of todays kids are engaged in sedentary pursuits made possible by a level of technology unthinkable as recently as 25 to 30 years ago. Computer, video, and other virtual games, the ready availability of feature films and games on DVD, plus high-tech advancements in musi c-listening technology have come down into the range of affordability for parents and even for the kids themselves. These passive pursuits have produced a downside of reduced physical activity for the kids, often with the explicit or implicit consent of the parents. . . .Other fairly recent developments have also contributed to the alarming rise in child obesity rates. Fast food outlets offering consumables that are both low in price and low in nutritional content have exploded all over the American landscape since the 1960s, especially in suburban areas close to major highway interchanges. Kids on their lunch breaks or after school often congregate in these fast food outlets, consuming food and soft drinks that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. Many parents, themselves, frequently take their children to these fast food places, thus setting an example the kids can find justification to emulate.(MacKie Shilstone, Mackie Shilstones Body Plan for Kids. Basic Health Publication s, 2009) Cause and Effect in Jonathan Swifts A Modest ProposalA Modest Proposal is a brilliant example of the use of non-argumentative devices of rhetorical persuasion. The whole essay, of course, rests broadly upon the argument of cause and effect: these causes have produced this situation in Ireland, and this proposal will result in these effects in Ireland. But Swift, within the general framework of this argument, does not employ specific argumentative forms in this essay. The projector chooses rather to assert his reasons and then to amass them by way of proof.(Charles A. Beaumont, Swifts Classical Rhetoric. Univ. of Georgia Press, 1961) Effects of AutomobilesI worry about the private automobile. It is a dirty, noisy, wasteful, and lonely means of travel. It pollutes the air, ruins the safety and sociability of the street, and exercises upon the individual a discipline which takes away far more freedom than it gives him. It causes an enormous amount of land to be unnecessarily abstracted from nature and from plant life and to become devoid of any natural function. It explodes cities, grievously impairs the whole institution of neighborliness, fragmentizes and destroys communities. It has already spelled the end of our cities as real cultural and social communities, and has made impossible the construction of any others in their place. Together with the airplane, it has crowded out other, more civilized and more convenient means of transport, leaving older people, infirm people, poor people and children in a worse situation than they were a hundred years ago.(George F. Kennan, Democracy and the Student Left, 1968) Examples and Effects of EntropyBecause of its unnerving irreversibility, entropy has been called the arrow of time. We all understand this instinctively. Childrens rooms, left on their own, tend to get messy, not neat. Wood rots, metal rusts, people wrinkle and flowers wither. Even mountains wear down; even the nuclei of atoms decay. In the city we see entropy in the rundown subways and worn-out sidewalks and torn-down buildings, in the increasing disorder of our lives. We know, without asking, what is old. If we were suddenly to see the paint jump back on an old building, we would know that something was wrong. If we saw an egg unscramble itself and jump back into its shell, we would laugh in the same way we laugh as a movie run backward.(K.C. Cole, The Arrow of Time. The New York Times, March 18, 1982)

Sociology of corrections essays

Sociology of corrections essays Typically, there are four justifications for punishment that are still used today in the United States: Retribution, deterrence, incapication, and rehabilitation. There are many ways of reaching these justifications besides prison today, which are made to help the current problems in the criminal justice system. There are many different views about the effectiveness of these justifications, and with all of the problems in the criminal justice system many questions are left unanswered today, such as...... How well do the realities of the correctional enterprise concur with these justifications of punishment Reality in this aspect generally means the rate of recidivism for a given offender. According to Marquart and Sorensen, "It may be possible to manipulate certain gross features of the existing, conceptional prison system- such as length of sentence and degree of security- in order to affect these recidivism rates. " (Correctional Contexts, Roxbury Publishing company, 1997, pg. 299 ) The recidivism rates for any given offender depend upon a lot of variables, one of which being, time of sentence. One harsh reality of the correctional enterprise is that the majority of the correctional institutions in the United States today are over crowded. A 1992 survey said that, "there are 3,500 county jails in the United States today, and there are 400,000 inmates inhabiting them." ( Class discussion, September 20 ) This makes time of sentence difficult to be fair about when there is no room to house an offender, even if he does deserve it. In light of what we know about corrections, how successful are we in achieving these goals? "Which should society use" retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, or rehabilitation? Justifications for specific sanctions overlap considerably. A term of imprisonment may be philosophically justified by its primary goal of retribution but also serve the secondary functions of deterren ...

Discussion 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Discussion 2 - Assignment Example Belgium was defending its sovereignty and neutrality in the war protected by their treaty with the Great Britain. This resulted in Belgium being attacked by Germany with the largest casualties being on Aorschot, Andenne, tamines, Leuven, Dinant and Liege regions. The documentary follows through the ruins of Leuven showing the aftermath of the war. The Germans brought down to ashes the town together with its university and the priceless manuscripts at the library. The only building that survived was the town hall and only because it was the German QG. The German army killed nearly 6000 Belgian civilians including women and children burnt more than 25000 homes and buildings. The documentary although based on the world seems to be passing judgment on Germany. The documentary is an excellent depiction the horror that was present in World War 1 and the untold accounts by the survivors. Chapter 3 in the book Hitler and Nazi Germany is about the growth and victory of Nazism between 1924 and 1934. The section follows the imprisonment of Hitler and his change of tact. Hitler had been imprisoned for treason after staging the â€Å"Beer Hall Putsch† in Munich, which failed. The Beer Hall putsch was a forceful takeover of the government in Bavaria. He wrote his book â€Å"My struggle† in prison which gave him a lot of publicity. While in prison Hitler realized that the only way to win public support was through a legal and constitutional means and started the process of reconstructing the Nazi (National Socialist German workers party) party. The chapter follows Hitler in prison and after his release, after release from prison Hitler formally refounded the party in February 1925 proclaiming it to be the fighter of Marxism. According to Hitler Germany’s economic depression was a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty that ended the world war 1, the treaty had burdened Germany with compensations that

Having more mothers in the work force has changed the way many kids Essay

Having more mothers in the work force has changed the way many kids grow up - Essay Example Women participation incivic development could be primary reason for the decline of race. Child care living at home coincides withengagement in the social downturn and it becomes enigma to create balance between children brought up and social trend at workplace.More mothers in workplace drags lots of effects on children. For instance Mother absence at home attracts pre adolescents towards TV, and other discretionary activities i.e. playing, hobbies, clubs, outdoor activities, informal visiting eating unhealthy foods and just hanging out. Consequently heavy television watching and eating unhealthy food in the absence of mother increases aggressiveness, in turn reduces school achievement which is statistically associated with psychosocial malfunctioning. Such effects are enough to destroy child mother bond.Lots of deficiencies remain unattended in the personality of child at the time when they needs the proper brought up (Martha, 1994). For example if Asian mothers try to overcome such problems, the first step mothers take for entering in work field is they give children responsibility to their grandparents. As grandparents are no longer busier and need to have some activity for their rest of life. No doubt children bring lots of happiness and joy into their lives. Grandparents try to meet all requirements of their grandchildren, fulfill their needs, run behind them, and protect them from harm. But when children make mistakes they punish and grudge on them. Children’s growing up in such circumstances becomes very naughty, mischievous and self-centered. The second option is fathers take care of their children but such great husbands who support their wives career are rare. There is great difference between mother and father patience. Father can’t do all the jobs as mother also fathers get annoyed at little mistakes and snub the children the way mother never did. The children get fear of father and try to hide their feelings and problems in front