Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Business - Essay Example The decision of the body will be rested in the hands of the owner and the government or the legislative body of the state. However, many companies fail to follow interests of the last two components of the corporate law which are the citizens and the nation as a whole, its integrity, environment and culture. The trend of globalization has further intensified the competition in the business world, where each company tries to overpower other by whatever means available. Thus, in this race for power and money, it is the local people who become the victim of lies, cruelty and cunningness of companies’ money oriented intentions and plans (McFarland, 2004). This paper is an attempt to illustrate the real essence of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and how and which companies have violated it for their self interests. For the paper argument, the Canadian documentary film â€Å"The Corporation† by Joel Bakan is made the prime source (Bakan, 2012). Example of Companies 1. Johnson & Johnson J&J is a renowned brand of cosmetics, shampoo and skin lotions. The company is one of the trend setters in the cosmetics world hiding which hides the danger behind their â€Å"good for skin† products due to the brand reputation (CBS NEWS, 2012). The products of the J&J Company have been found to contain a diluted amount of Carcinogen Formaldehyde in their baby shampoos. In their effort to create a brand new image of a baby shampoo, they came up with an idea of â€Å"No More Tears† to attract their customers. From a customer point, it can be regarded as a great innovation in baby shampoo, but on the cost of healthcare issues (Mercola, 2011). Carcinogen Formaldehyde is one of the materials that can risk to Cancer in the later stages of life. This chemical is also present in their adult products and raises the question of whether their products are actually made for the benefit of people or just for their own benefits (NCI, 2011). However, after been fo und guilty by the Health and Environment Group, the company announced to remove those materials from its products by 2015. These factors leaves the questions that if products of the most famous company which are launched after great research are not safe, can the other products be trusted? (CBS NEWS, 2012) 2. Hershey Hershey is the largest chocolate producing company with worldwide recognition and consumers. It is evident that sales of the company is incomparable to sales of an average company, but still the greed for money cannot be ever satisfied (Hsu, 2012). Hershey Company has been recently indicted by utilizing child labor of Africa, for their cocoa harvesting and refining. The corporate government laws and those of International Labor Organization clearly states that child labor is an act of injustice and should be practiced anywhere in the world (Huff Post Business, 2012). Practices of child labor in the underdeveloped regions show their poverty and strive to earn their livel ihood. However, if the same practice is supported by giant business personnel and organizations like Hershey then it is a clear sign of immorality and easy measure to get low cost labor (Hsu, 2012). 3. KFC KFC is another big name when talking of corporate giants. It is the world’s leading fast food chain with its specialty in fried chickens. It is suspicious that how they fulfill the growing demand of chicken food items throughout the world, with the limited number of farming

Congestive Heart Failure Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Congestive Heart Failure - Case Study Example The heart failure is divided into systolic dysfunction and diastolic dysfunction. The ejection fraction, the fraction of blood that is pumped out by the contracting heart at the time of systole, determines the type of heart failure an individual is suffering from. Congestive heart failure is characterized by shortness of breath which increases from exertion. Other symptoms include peripheral edema which is caused by fluid retention in the legs. As in the case-study, CHF is associated with hypertension, which is one of the causes for heart failure caused by excessive stretching of the heart muscles. Apart from the clinical presentation of dyspnea, the patient also has 8 pound weight gain, which points out to another etiological factor of obesity which results in the causation of CHF. With the increase in weight, the workload of heart increases and hence the heart muscles weaken leading to CHF. It can also be a factor in exacerbation of CHF (Roberts 2009). The patient also complains of chest pain and is prescribed nitroglycerine ointment, Darvocet and Ibuprofen for her chest pain. Angina pectoris is described as chest pain caused by ischemia of the myocardium. The angina pectoris is associated with several risk factors which include family history, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, old age and hyperlipidemia. As evident from the patient’s history, she has associated complaints of hypertension and also an increased amount of weight for which she is being given a lipid lowering agent, Zocar 50mg once a day. The pain or discomfort is experienced retrosternal which extends to the shoulders, arms and jaws as well. The triggering factors might include emotional stress, exertion, post-meal or excessive cold (Griffin & Topol 2009). Hypertension is another complaint and she is being given Minipres and Calan once a day for lowering her blood pressure. Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for heart failure and is defined as a systolic and diastolic blood pres sure of 140/90 or greater than that. A complete history about patient’s lifestyle and daily habits will help in evaluating the etiology of hypertension (Toth & Cannon 2010). Atrial fibrillation is the fourth pathology evident from the patient’s case study. It results in tachyarrhythmia which presents as palpitations, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Less commonly the patients will manifest with chest pain or pulmonary edema. Its association with congestive heart failure, advanced age and hypertension can be explained by the reduced atrial contractions which result in atrial myolysis and defective calcium channels leading to abnormal sympathetic innervations at a cellular level (Griffin & Topol 2009). Digoxin is the most widely used cardiac glycoside for the treatment of heart failure. It promotes heart contractility and also regulates the calcium concentrations in the cytosol. With the action of Digoxin, the heart pumps blood with more force, almost resembling that of the normal heart. However, an important adverse effect includes hypokalemia which may lead to digitalis toxicity. Therefore, the patients are also prescribed potassium supplementation along with digoxin. Furosemide is a loop diuretic which increases the urine output and hence reduces the excessive water

Antenna Technology Wireless

Antenna Technology Wireless Definition Antenna is an electronic device mostly known as transducer that is designed to receive and transmit electromagnetic waves and can be very effective in the telecommunication systems. It was the most neglected section of all the personal communication systems. But with the rapid evolution of the technology, communication is expected to be transmitted and received quickly and with fewer errors whether it is through wireless networks or otherwise, thus antennas can solve this problem. Actually it is not the Antennas which are smart but the smart system that makes it work are smart. Smart antennas consists of many other antennas which when combine together would produce or receive signals faster and more efficient. Normally this set of antennas is called MIMO which means multiple inputs -multiple outputs. . Beamforming is a technique where signals are processed and send to the direction of the receiver or vice-versa. The signal is either a fix pattern or adaptive pattern that is modified to make maximum usage of signal. Background Smart Antennas can be referred as a new technology which is used with the mobile communication, but in fact the first Smart Antennas were introduced to use by the government in the military application in 1960s. The transmission of the signal used directed beams to avoid environmental interferences such as noise and at the same time hiding transmitted data from enemies. During those days the antennas structure was very large and it was time-consuming to calculate the exact transmission rate and correctness of the signal. In 1987, the concept of wireless communication has been invented by Marconi and since then there has been an extensive and continuing increase in the use of mobile communication. Newer technologies and approach were explored and deployed and when the latest one that is the Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) has been emerged it brings a promising future to the wireless communication. SDMA is based on the use of Smart Antennas and researchers have worked on this technology to apply it on personal communication. Types of Smart Antennas There are two main types of Smart Antennas Switched beam is the simplest structure of Smart Antennas; it forms fixed multiples beams to serve users in a predefined way. The signal gives its best performance by switching from one beam to another when the user of the mobile moves through their cell. The table below shows how this approach works: But the problem with this beam occurs is the user is not in the middle of the main beam. The other type is the Adaptive Array Antennas. It is the most advanced approach of the Smart Antenna System as it automatically adjusts the beam with the condition of environmental factor that is the movement of the user and any interferers. Furthermore it also identifies, track and reduce any interfering signals and it maximize the signal radiation in the direction of the mobile user. The adjustment is attained the incoming signal is multiplied with complex weights and then summing them together to obtain the desired radiation pattern. Categories of Smart Antennas The Smart Antennas fall into three categories SIMO, MISO, and MIMO. Single-Input and Multiple-Output (SIMO) uses a single antenna for transmission to be received by multiple antennas in wireless communication. A benefit of this category is that the antennas are combined to reduce errors and improve the transmission distance but in some cases this gives rise to problem with multipath effect. As discussed in SearchMobileComputing, 2005 website when an electromagnetic field (EM field) is met with obstructions such as hills, canyons, buildings, and utility wires, the wavefronts are scattered, and thus they take many paths to reach the destination. The late arrival of scattered portions of the signal causes problems such as fading, cut-out (cliff effect), and intermittent reception (picket fencing). In digital communications systems such as wireless Internet, it can cause a reduction in data speed and an increase in the number of errors. Thus two or more antennas as transmitted can solve this problem. Multiple-Input, Single-Output (MISO) means that there are multiple antennas to transmit but a single antenna to receive. This has practically the same benefits and limitations as that of SIMO, but this technology has widespread application in Digital TeleVision (DTV), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and mobile communications. Multiple-Input, Single-Output (MIMO) used multiples antennas for transmitters and as well as receiver for wireless communication. Antennas which were not a great subject of discussion recently become the most important category in wireless communication. Especially when Researchers finally proved that with MIMO antennas system there are lots of advantages such as greater receiver gain, increased data rates, larger network throughput, and improved reliability through antenna diversity. IEEE 802.11n wireless standard which is expected in 2009 uses MIMO to increase maximum speed to 100 Mbps and beyond, double the 802.11a and 11g wireless standards. This article was extracted from Techworld.com which clearly shows the use of MIMO system in wireless communication. Cox, 2008 says that â€Å"MIMO has made its way into chipsets and could be in WLAN devices by year-end. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of telecom standards groups, is also evaluating MIMO techniques for use in cellular networks. MIMO doubles the spectral efficiency compared with that of current WLANs. So far, the only company with MIMO chipsets is Airgo Networks, which launched its products in August 2003. MIMO is unique because it multiplies bandwidth by essentially providing multiple channels between devices, says Ben Manny, director of the radio communications laboratory in Intels corporate technology group.† MIMO can be classified into three categories Precoding, Spatial Multiplexing and Diversity Coding. Precoding is multi-layer beamforming to support MIMO radio system. It is used for single-user MIMO or multiple-user MIMO in a linear or non-linear algorithm. Spatial multiplexing is a way to transmit and separate high rate signal into multiple lower rate streams and each stream is transmitted from a different transmit antenna in the same frequency channel. Diversity methods is a single stream (unlike spatial multiplexing) to transmit data and is coded using techniques called space-time coding. Overview Architectures of Smart Antenna (MIMO) One of the biggest problems in wireless telecommunication is fading and inter-symbol interferences as shown in the diagram, below. Fading refers to the distortion of intensity over certain propagation media and Inter-symbol interference (ISI) occurs when there is reflection caused by other remote objects. The transmitted signal, at the receiver end are overlapped and delayed. To overcome this problem we use MIMO architecture, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) coding. MIMO operate in two modes diversity mode and spatial multiplexing mode to solve the problem. Diversity Mode The use of two or more antennas that are spaced sufficiently apart such that they can receive signals from independent signal paths are involve in a Simple Receive Diversity. A basic way to select an optimal receive antenna from an array of antennas is Selection Combining, whereby the receiver switches to another antenna whenever it detects weak signals or a high noise level from the current receiving antenna. More sophisticated techniques such as Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) receive on multiple antennas simultaneously and apply advanced signal processing algorithms to combine the different versions of the received signals to maximize SNR and minimize receive errors. Selection Combining and MRC can be implemented on just the receive side of the link as shown in the figure below. (Video54, 2008, p3) Spatial Multiplexing Mode In rich multipath environments with multiple uncorrelated signal paths as figure 5, Spatial Multiplexing (SM) allows the sender to transmit different portions of the user data on multiple paths in parallel to increase capacity. The target receiver must implement a corresponding de-multiplexing algorithm to recover the original information stream from multiple antennas. In an ideal multipath environment, SM can increase the capacity of a single frequency channel linearly with the number of transmit antennas used. (Video54, 2008, p4) Figure 5: Spatial diversity (Video54, 2008, p4) Spatial Multiplexing requires the same multiplexing algorithm on both sides of a communications link. Therefore it is not interoperable with existing 802.11a/b/g devices. Until 802.11n is defined, only SM client and SM network devices from the same vendor can communicate with each other. (Video54, 2008, p4) In contrast, Selection Combining and Maximum Ratio Combining are diversity techniques that can be implemented on just one side of a communications link; therefore they can benefit all existing 802.11a/b/g devices even when diversity is only implemented on the Access Point. (Video54, 2008, p4) Thus the above explanation shows how MIMO which is being a category of Smart Antennas is designed. Benefits/Limitations of Smart Antennas Benefits Smart Antennas System, being one the latest technology in progress has brought lot of benefits. It serves as a dual purpose that is while enhancing the signal quality; it also increased the reuse of the frequency. The benefits are in more details below: As Smart Antennas receive signal from several antennas, this increase the power for higher gain of signal. The Antennas also focuses on the communication device which allows the range of operation and the service by the antennas to increase. Thus reducing the cost by lowering the amplifier costs, power consumption and result in a higher reliability. To be more precise, with Smart Antennas the network providers will not require as many antennas/base stations to provide coverage. (Lehne et al. 1999, p. 5) Furthermore, Smart Antennas provide the facility to reuse the frequencies which can increase the number of users. This also add to the factor of cost reduction, that is if more users are on the same frequency there will be less operating cost for purchasing the frequency space. Interference will also be suppressed with the introduction of the Antennas system. The transmission pattern will be generated directly as before it was radiated from all the direction and increases interferences. Thus the suppression will also increase the ability to reuse and achieve a better coverage. With Smart Antennas signal are transmitted while targeting the communication device which can also be used to determine the accurate geographic information of the device. This can allow network providers to offer new services to the devices for example guiding emergency services to the location or the locality information. This system also increases security, as radiation of the signal is direct and not as in the traditional way when it was omni-directional. If someone wants to intercept the transmissions they would need to be at the same location or between the two communicating devices. (Gadh et al. 2003) Moreover, with the frequency reuse there in an increase in the bandwidth as Smart Antennas provide diversity. The adaptive array utilize multi-path signal to reach a device and reduce the effective delay spread of the channel and allowing higher bit rates to be supported without an equalizer. And as Smart antennas are not a new protocol or standard, it can easily be integrated with existing non smart antennas and devices. Limitations As all other system, Smart Antennas also has some constraints. Lots of faults or problems can occur which can be very hard to diagnose as Smart Antenna is much more complicated than the traditional one (Lehne et al. 1999, p. 5). And also though there will be a reduction in the cost factor with the frequency reuse when the system is already implemented but while implementing this complex system, they are far more expensive than the traditional antenna. Furthermore due to the antenna arrays which are utilized by smart antenna systems, they are much larger in size than traditional systems. This can be a problem in a social context as antennas can be seen as ugly or unsightly. (Lehne et al. 1999, p.6) Smart Antennas need to have the best location to operate because of the direct radiation and not as the traditional one. For example in a road context, smart antennas are better situated away from the road, unlike normal antennas which are best situated along the road. (Lehne et al. 1999, p . 6) Need of Smart Antennas Smart Antennas has been required to accommodate with the future of mobile communication that is to significantly improve the performance of wireless performance and increase the number of users. So Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) which is a satellite communication mode has exploited this technology to optimize the use of radio spectrum and minimized cost. SDMA also known as SDM (spatial-division multiplex) has also used Smart Antennas or adaptive array to adjust dynamically with the changing traffic and the user requirements by providing frequency reuse and antennas that are highly directional, unlike the previous wireless system like FDMA, TDMA or CDMA. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) was the first generation of wireless networks communication. FDMA technique was a basic technology in analog that was used by the Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) and was the most widely technology installed in mobile phone in North America. FDMA assigned each channel to only one user at a time and is also used in the Total Access Communication Systems (TACS). But The Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS) which also uses FDMA adds TDMA to get three channels for each FDMA channel, tripling the number of calls that can be handled on a channel. (Sanchez, 2003) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) was first used BY D-AMPS then Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) in 2G cellular system, and Personal Digital Cellular (PDC). Each of them implements TDMA differently and in incompatible way (Search Networking, 2006). TDMA is a channel access method to share medium network and used in digital mobile communication dividing signal into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried. It also allows multiple stations to share the same transmission medium while using only the part of its bandwidth they require. TDMA is used for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) and also in the satellite system and combat-net radio. (Wikipedia, 2008) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) refers to the second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) wireless communication. It can be said to be an alternative to TDMA and FDMA, but CDMA has a much higher bandwidth than the data being communicated in contrast with TDMA which divides access by time and FDMA divides by frequency. CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimizing the use of available bandwidth and also allows roaming (Search Telecom, 2007) but it does not guaranteed the future of mobile communication and this is where SDMA arise and become the solution. Conclusion Even though Smart Antennas has some limitations, it has proved that it is the latest technology to bring an excellent future to wireless communication. With the adaptive array system the communication would be clearer with better signal and also the frequency reuse is of great advantage to cost reduction. Furthermore, MIMO is one of the latest discussed and the IEEE 802.11n wireless standard is expected in 2009. So it can be concluded that Smart Antennas has a great future. References Web ProForum Tutorials Smart Antenna Systems http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/acrobat/smart_ant.pdf Date accessed 15/04/08 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Smart Antennas, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Antennas, Date accessed 18/04/08. TechTarget (2004) Smart Antenna http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci1026138,00.html Date accessed 18/04/08. Paulraj (2008) Smart Antenna Research Group http://www.stanford.edu/group/sarg/ Date accessed 20/04/08. CDMA Development Group (2008) Smart Antennas http://www.cdg.org/technology/cdma_technology/smart_antennas/index.asp Date accessed 24/04/08. Shetty, K.K (2004) Chapter 1 Introduction http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04092004-143712/unrestricted/Ch_1introduction.pdf Date accessed 24/04/08. Cugnin, A (2008) Smart antennas http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/smart_antennas/ Date accessed 30/04/08. Georg zur B, Thomas C Smart antennas: A design alternative http://www.eetasia.com/ARTICLES/2005FEB/B/2005FEB16_RFD_TA.pdf?SOURCES=DOWNLOAD Date accessed 05/05/08. Kassner, M (2008) /a>Whats MiMo? http://wedothatradio.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/mimo-mike-kassner/ Date accessed 09/05/08. Cox, J (2008) Which smart antenna system will win? http://www.techworld.com/mobility/features/index.cfm?featureid=396 Date accessed 15/05/08. WTEC Hyper-Librarian(2000) Smart Antenna Advantages http://www.wtec.org/loyola/wireless/06_04.htm Date accessed 21/05/08. Hall, D (2007) Smart Antennas http://www.robotification.com/content/view/13/ Date accessed 22/05/08. Sanchez, R.W (2003) FDMA http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci213959,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. TechTarget (2006) TDMA http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci214175,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Time division multiple access http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Division_Multiple_Access Date accessed 24/05/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Code division multiple access http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA Date accessed 24/05/08. TechTarget (2007) CDMA http://searchtelecom.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid103_gci213842,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. Intel Journal (2006) MIMO Architecture for Wireless Communication http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/volume10issue02/art07_MIMO_Architecture/p06_mimo_systems_ofdm_ldpc.htm Date accessed 25/05/08. Video54 (2008) Mimo and Smart Antenna Techniques for 802.11a/b/g Networks http://www.edsl.com.au/ruckus/whitepapers/smart-antennas.pdf Date accessed 25/05/08.

Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in Ess

Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. You should consider the poems equally and use the texts to support your ideas. The poems ‘London’ by William Blake and ‘composed upon Westminster Bridge’ by William Wordsworth are both a description of the same city, however they both take opposite viewpoints when describing their own perception. In the poem ‘London’, Blake takes a negative view of the city. He presents the people as being unhappy, in the first stanza he talks of â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woe† this suggests misery and perhaps failure. The negativity is emphasised by the repetition in the sentence and the alliteration on the w. Wordsworth however sheds a different light on the city, immediately showing appreciation. He uses some quite royal and perhaps religious language such as â€Å"majesty† and â€Å"temples†. This is a suggestion towards the beauty underneath the normal images of London, portraying the city as being like a kingdom. It brings in the idea of belief, opposing the idea of â€Å"weakness† in Blake’s poem ‘London’. In this poem, Blake talks of a â€Å"black’ning church† this suggests poverty and destruction. Blackened literally by the smoke and pollution in the air, and perhaps blackened metaphorically by the misery within the city. The colour black immediately brings bad thoughts to the mind, thoughts of danger and despair. On the contrary, Wordsworth appeals to the reader’s senses by describing the sun as â€Å"bright and glittering in the smokeless air†. This differs dramatically to Blake’s description as it brings a bright sense of colour to the mind and a feeling of warm... ... is there a different perception of the city between the poems, but a different time of day, and a different effect on it’s readers. Both poems end on incredibly different notes, Wordsworth sums up the splendour of London using the line â€Å"and all that mighty heart is lying still†. This suggests that the peace in the city is always there, even when the bustle of the city awakens. ‘London’ however, ends with a negative tone, speaking of a young prostitute; this creates a very emotive and powerful end to the poem. Outlining the distressing view of the city. In comparison, although both poets are relating to the same place, they describe them as being totally different, based on their own opinions. This could be because of the time of day or perhaps because of their own experiences but their imagery both shed totally different light on the city of London. Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in Ess Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. Explore the different ways the poets describe the city of London in their poems. You should consider the poems equally and use the texts to support your ideas. The poems ‘London’ by William Blake and ‘composed upon Westminster Bridge’ by William Wordsworth are both a description of the same city, however they both take opposite viewpoints when describing their own perception. In the poem ‘London’, Blake takes a negative view of the city. He presents the people as being unhappy, in the first stanza he talks of â€Å"marks of weakness, marks of woe† this suggests misery and perhaps failure. The negativity is emphasised by the repetition in the sentence and the alliteration on the w. Wordsworth however sheds a different light on the city, immediately showing appreciation. He uses some quite royal and perhaps religious language such as â€Å"majesty† and â€Å"temples†. This is a suggestion towards the beauty underneath the normal images of London, portraying the city as being like a kingdom. It brings in the idea of belief, opposing the idea of â€Å"weakness† in Blake’s poem ‘London’. In this poem, Blake talks of a â€Å"black’ning church† this suggests poverty and destruction. Blackened literally by the smoke and pollution in the air, and perhaps blackened metaphorically by the misery within the city. The colour black immediately brings bad thoughts to the mind, thoughts of danger and despair. On the contrary, Wordsworth appeals to the reader’s senses by describing the sun as â€Å"bright and glittering in the smokeless air†. This differs dramatically to Blake’s description as it brings a bright sense of colour to the mind and a feeling of warm... ... is there a different perception of the city between the poems, but a different time of day, and a different effect on it’s readers. Both poems end on incredibly different notes, Wordsworth sums up the splendour of London using the line â€Å"and all that mighty heart is lying still†. This suggests that the peace in the city is always there, even when the bustle of the city awakens. ‘London’ however, ends with a negative tone, speaking of a young prostitute; this creates a very emotive and powerful end to the poem. Outlining the distressing view of the city. In comparison, although both poets are relating to the same place, they describe them as being totally different, based on their own opinions. This could be because of the time of day or perhaps because of their own experiences but their imagery both shed totally different light on the city of London.

Illustrate the case for reading the poem as (in part) a study in becoming Roman Essay

To both modern and ancient readers alike perhaps one theme of the Aeneid has generally been perceived most strongly, that of the poem’s glorification and aetiological justification of the values and society of the Imperial Rome in which its poet, Vergil, lived. In contrast to the Hesiodic concept of the decline of society from a bygone Golden Age, Vergil implicitly argues in the Aeneid for the constant evolution of society as having produced in Rome the very pinnacle of civilisation. However, this does not mean that his view is universally rose-tinted: Vergil, also, manages to portray the pathos of those who give their lives for this end (e.g. the self-sacrifices of Dido in book IV and Nisus and Euryalus in book IX [at whose plight Vergil says siquid mea carmina possunt, nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo1]). Like Augustus, Vergil tends to relate the present to mos maiorum, so that innovation is given the guise of conservatism (as Rome was, after all, a generally conservative society). In this essay, I shall discuss the ways in which the poem expresses the development of such a Roman identity. From the outset the poem explains that Aeneas’ struggles (with which we are first met) are not in vain: his descendants are, famously, to obtain imperium sine fine, in the words of Jupiter (1.277). By book XII, that goal is within clear sight. The fact that the all-powerful father of the gods programmatically and teleologically tells of such future greatness so early in the poem gives the reader no option but to focus subsequently on how Aeneas achieves this fated goal. Vergil tends not to involve the gods as directly in the narrative of human affairs as does Homer, but uses them to great effect symbolically and to give such weighty pronouncements. Another programmatic feature of the first book involves its emphasis on kingship: to give just two examples, at line 265 we are told, by Jupiter, that Aeneas will reign over Latium and he is soon after described as king of the fugitive Trojans by Ilioneus (544). Dido ‘is [termed] regina eleven times’ in book I.2 This may not be particularly surprising considering that kingship was the traditional form of government in epic poetry and the heroic world, but such emphasis could be said not only to foresee the supreme power of Augustus (though he did not, due to the negative connotations, style himself as rex or dictator) but also to legitimise it. Augustus may be seen as a benevolent dictator in the mould of Hellenistic kings. To become truly Roman it follows that Aeneas must, equally, become less Trojan, and we can see this process occurring in the poem. Due to the high esteem of Homer’s epics (and the relative paucity of other accounts), the Trojan world is, for both Vergil and ourselves, a predominantly Homeric one; accordingly, some critics have seen in the poem of a gradual rejection of Homeric values. For example, the Aeneas that we see in book II can be said to be ‘rash, implusive, brave [and] seeking when all is lost the glorious death’3: all perfectly Achillean attributes, which, one could argue, slowly recede as the poem progresses. In the second half of the poem (i.e. the ‘Iliadic half’), Turnus is a clear foil to Aeneas (n.b. his bellicose words to Pandarus at the end of book IX: ‘You will soon be able to tell Priam that here too you found an Achilles!’). The Roman way of life involves, arguably, a reliance on debate and compromise more than the manliness and aggression of Homeric heroes. However, this analysis cannot be treated too simplistically as there are points, even towards the poem’s dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nouement, where Aeneas is just as ruthless and cold as ever: for example, at many points during book X he rejects pleas for mercy and jeers at those who are on the point of death. Anchises’ prophetic statement in the underworld of book VI has, also, been seen by critics as important in showing both us and Aeneas how to ‘become Roman’, whilst also sanctioning the power of the Roman state: Your task, Roman, and do not forget it, will be to govern the peoples of the world in your empire. These will be your arts — and to impose a settled pattern upon peace, to pardon the defeated and war down the proud. (6.851-3) It is important to note the context, for Aeneas is now starting to act very much like the good king, by acting in accordance with the gods when he leads his men to the Sibyl; whilst in the underworld, Aeneas sees a number of his descendants and successors, many of whom are rulers, and by doing so his right to rule is implicitly confirmed. The speech of Anchises, however, sets Rome within a firm tradition: it was well accepted by many Romans that Greek culture was superior in many respects. If we look at the lines above in which Anchises mentions the Greek arts of sculpture, oratory and astronomy, he can surely be said to define Rome against Greece by tacitly accepting their superiority in these realms, but he implies that the arts of Rome, the arts of peace and war, are what really matter. Though this may seem like an exceptionally aggressive mission, the extent to which clemency (a famous virtue of Augustus) and ultimate peace are emphasised must be noted. In the light of these ideals, Aeneas’ Achillean anger towards Turnus seems ‘in this light disturbing’.4 Perhaps the ideals are too idealistic to reflect reality truly. However, whether they were actually achieved or not, the ideals seem to have been held dearly in historical Rome, if we read what Claudian wrote (albeit with some degree of bias) four centuries after the time of Augustus: This is the only nation which has received conquered people in her embrace, and protected the human race under a common name like a mother not a tyrant, has called those whom she defeated her citizens, and has united the distant parts of the world in a bond of affection for her.5 One has to consider, however, that Roman bravado is often tempered in the poem. The many Trojan deaths throughout the poem are often glorified to emphasize the individual sacrifice for the communal goal. For example, Vergil’s apostrophe to Lausus: ‘harsh death’s misfortune and your noble deeds †¦ I shall not indeed leave unsung, nor you, O unforgettable youth’. 6 Such apostrophes seem to be based upon formulae deriving from Homeric invocations of the Muse, however, which might imply that the sentiment is not so personal as it seems.7 Dido, too, is seen as merely another obstacle which needs to be overcome for Rome to flourish (though she is repeatedly described, perhaps in Vergil’s own voice, as ‘pitiable’). Indeed, in one startling way she could be said to resemble a disgraced Homeric warrior: she falls on her own sword. Aeneas’ ‘escape’ from her thus further represents his retreat from Homeric values. To look at one final such death, the final two lines of the poem focus on the death of Turnus: The limbs of Turnus were disolved in cold and his life left him with a groan, fleeing in anger down to the shades. (12.951-2) The coldness of Turnus’ body may recall in our minds the first storm scene in which we meet Aeneas at sea, and may reiterate the degree to which Aeneas has reversed his despair (turning it into the despair of his main adversary). These lines thus emphasize both the pathos of the death and the certainty of Aeneas’ victory. It recalls, and is based upon, Homer, i.e. the deaths of both Hector and Patroclus (Iliad 16.857 & 22.363).8 The sadness of his death is thereby emphasised, since he is equated with such heroes on either side of the Trojan war. His death was a natural end to the poem (though perhaps an unnatural end for him). It may now be useful to look closely at a part of the poem that is, undoubtedly, looking forward to Rome perhaps more explicitly than any other: the ecphrasis towards the end of book VIII (626-728) focusing on the shield of Aeneas wrought for him by Vulcan as a foresight of the coming Roman glory. However, the crucial intertext on which this scene was modelled is that of the ecphrasis on Achilles’ shield at Iliad 18.478ff, so Vergil is still using a Homeric model to emphasise Rome’s greatness; Greek epic has such gravitas as a genre that, if Rome is to be such a towering civilisation, Roman epic needs to look back to its Greek antecedent. Indeed, in Homer Achilles has a desperate need for new armour (with the loss of his own after the killing of Patroclus), whereas it seems that Vergil includes this scene merely to show ‘before the full-scale fighting begins, what is to be achieved by it’. 9 The final, and (both literally and symbolically) central, scene of the shield shows Augustus’ celebrations after the battle of Actium (31 BC) in which he gained imperium from M. Antonius. Indeed, the shield itself is reminiscent of the shield that was hung in the Curia to commemorate Augustus’ virtues in 27 BC; such virtues (i.e. virtus, clementia, iustitia and pietas) surely apply equally to the Roman imperator and Aeneas (especially pietas, since Aeneas’ pietas was proverbial and pius is a common epithet applied to him throughout the poem). The two men are poetically conflated, thereby giving heroic prestige to the emperor. Most pertinent, however, is that the scene shows numerous and various peoples of the earth (e.g. Nomads, Scythian Gelonians, Gaulish Morini etc.) offering Augustus gifts: the implication is clearly that virtually everyone throughout the world is universally thankful for the arrival of pax Romana. The message is not quite so clear-cut and confident, however, since the theme of war is also almost always present in this vignette. Quite obviously, the theme of ‘war is apt both for the Shield as a martial instrument and for the circumstances of its delivery’,10 however, it moreover emphasizes the extent to which Roman peace relies upon the willingness to fight, however counter-intuitive that might seem. Virgil is certainly patriotic, but he nevertheless neither shies from or tries to obscure the realities of the early-Imperial political situation. In conclusion, the Aeneid can clearly be seen as a study in becoming Roman. Aeneas’ divine mission is reiterated throughout the poem with increasing intensity, especially throughout religious symbolism and prophecy: Aeneas is well aware that he must become Roman. The poem appears to move towards Roman values as it progresses, values such as pietas and clementia, in the face of Homeric impulses and aggression. However, such an analysis needs to be tempered: most notably because of such incidents as Aeneas’ rage against and murder of Turnus when he sees him wearing Pallas’ sword belt. Moreover, the poem continuously looks forward to a Rome to come, especially the Augustan Rome of Vergil’s era. Some have seen the poem as a mere propaganda piece, but it is clear that Vergil’s implicit praise for the Augustan rà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gime is sophisticated and not blind to the woes of war and those who are killed to make way for the Roman superpower: to use the phrase of the Aeneid, sunt lacrimae rerum. Through imitation (and innovation), Vergil also looks back to Homer. Perhaps the best summary of the message of the Aeneid is given by the ancient commentator Servius: ‘Virgil’s intention is to imitate Homer and to praise Augustus by means of his ancestors.’11 Vergil may, ultimately, have succeeded in his aim, when we consider that the poem was considered a seminal text in Roman civilisation and acquaintance with the poem was a primary method of teaching ancient children not only Latin but also the ‘Roman way of life’. Bibliography Cairns, F. (1989). Virgil’s Augustan Epic. Cambridge. Hardie, P.R. (1986). Virgil’s Aeneid: Cosmos and Imperium. Oxford. Lyne, R.O.A.M. (1987). Further Voices in Vergil’s Aeneid. Oxford. Williams, R.D. (1985). The Aeneid of Virgil: A Commentary. London. Williams, R.D. (1990). ‘The Purpose of the Aeneid’ in Oxford Readings in Vergil’s Aeneid (ed. S.J. Harrison), Oxford. 1 Aeneid 9.446-7. 2 Cairns (1989), 2. 3 Williams (1990), 28. 4 Lyne (1987), 112. 5 Cairns (1989), 205. (De Consolatu Stilichonis, 3.150-3.) 6 Aeneid 10.791-3. 7 Lyne (1987), 235. 8 Lyne (1987), 135-6. 9 Williams (1985), 90. 10 Hardie (1986), 347. 11 Williams (1990), 21.

Female and Camille Paglia Men

In the article Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminists Know by Camille Paglia talks about how rape cannot be tolerated in a society and how feminism has put young women in danger by hiding the truth about sex from them. Although rape has been a problem for women for a long time, there was a time where the penalty for rape was death. However in the article Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminist Know by Camille Paglia states â€Å"In our cities, on our campuses far from home, young women are vulnerable and defenseless†. Camille Paglia insists that feminism states that both sexes are equal nd tells women they can act, and dress any way they want. However Camille Paglia argues â€Å"No, they can’t and women will always be in sexual danger† (Camille Paglia, pg 40). As we will all know there are sexual differences that are based in biology, but according to academic feminism men and women are equal. Although Camille Paglia states that academic feminism is lost in a fog of so cial constructionism. She believes that college man are their hormonal peak and that a drunk girl at a part with them is setting herself for failure and will possibly be raped.According to Camille Paglia men and women are different because for example one of Camille Paglia make students recently slept overnight at a Great Pyramid in Egypt. The student described the moon, and sand, etc. Camille Paglia points out that because she is a woman, she would never get to experience that because it is to dangerous. Camille Paglia can possibly get robed, raped, murdered, and many other possible horrible things. Camille Paglia goes on to talk about how sexual desire and arousal cannot be fully translated into verbal terms.She believed that sometimes men and women tend to misunderstand each other. For example sometimes when a male and a female are alone and they kiss, the female might just want to kiss and the male may misunderstand that thinking that she wants to have sex. These types of situat ion sometimes lead to rape unfortunately. According to Camille Paglia rape is a big danger and woman need to know the precautions the can take to be safer. Camille Paglia makes it clear for woman not to blow off a vulgar remark directed towards them.Camille Paglia stated that if a male student makes a vulgar remark about a female students breast, that the female student should deal with it on the spot Camille Paglia states to respond with the situation by saying â€Å"Shut up, you jerk! † She believes this is the best way to deal with it instead of running to your mom and dad or some campus grievance committee. Camille Paglia believes that female students that stick up for themselves are the students that are harassed less often. Currently there are many rapes that happen all over the world, however according o Camille Paglia there are two solutions. Camille Paglia claims that female self- awareness and self-control. Basically for example a woman’s number-one line of d efense against rape is herself. If females educate themselves to help avoid, bad situations leading to rape, this will in turn reduce the percentage of rapes. She believes reporting rapes to College Committees would do a woman injustice. Camille Paglia explains that woman should report their rapes to the police instead of College committees who are not equipped or trained

buy custom The Cold War essay

buy custom The Cold War essay The Cold War refers the period of tension, competition, and conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States and their allies since the mid 1940s to the early 1990s (Roberts, 2011). It was among the longest and costliest conflicts in human history, which took place over the duration of seventy years, with periodic letups in the degree of hostility. The Cold War was also the worlds war of the widest scope, because it took place on every continent on Earth and, taking into consideration the space race, over each continent. Throughout the period, the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States happened in multiple arenas: ideology, espionage, and psychology; military coalitions; military and technological developments; industrial, which includes the space race; many proxy wars; a massive nuclear and conventional arms race; and costly defense spending (Roberts, 2011). The Cold War occurred in a number of means, such as propaganda, diplomatic haggling, economic war, and military clashes. It also took place in a number of places, including neutral states, newly independent countries in Asia and Africa, and in outer space (Roberts, 2011). This research paper will consider the reason of the Cold War, influences of the Cold War, the beneficiaries of the Cold War, and sufferers of the Cold War. Reasons of Cold War The most significant reason of Cold War was the United States' fear of USSR. However, a number of factors led to Cold War since about 1946 to 1991 (Martin, 2011). Political Reasons Once the Second World War had ended, the Berlin wall split Germany into two parts, which were West Germany and East Germany. Soviet Union was in charge of the East Germany while Europe was in charge of the West Germany. Since the Cold War had become dominant in the place of Soviet Union and European lands, the two super powers experienced the most impacts. The United States experienced less severe effects, so they provided free support to enable Europe rebuild. The Soviet Union did not accept assistance for its invaded territorial dominions and themselves. The United States want to scare USSR with exploding the atomic artillery (Martin, 2011). The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) kept the Germans down, the Soviet Union outside, and the Americans inside (Martin, 2011). The trouble with the alliance of America with NATO included the attempt to attain acceptance as neutral; but it is not possible to be neutral while at the same time be an element of an alliance that is against Soviet Union. Therefore, Soviet Union anticipated it with the Warsaw Pact, which, however, broke up when the communist nations fell (Martin, 2011). Economic Reasons The United States wanted to promote free trade across the world while the Soviet Union wanted to shield off her republics from globalization. Russia was not to accept trading with the West, because it would disclose its risk to western influences, which would have weakened the strength of the totalitarian government (Martin, 2011). The United States supplied enough war materials to the Allied countries through the Land-Lease program during the Second World War (Komska, 2011). As this program suddenly ended, the war-ravaged Soviet Union failed to obtain American materia support to help in the economic reconstruction after the war. These differences resulted in much ill feeling between the Soviet Union and the United States (Martin, 2011). Technological Reasons Many people claim that the invention and use of Sputnik was the significant reason that resulted in the Cold War (Martin, 2011). Moreover, Americans expressed fears because the Soviet Union could launch the satellite up in the sky, build powerful artillery, and place it on the satellite. Therefore, the aggression of Soviet Union made Sputnik satellite to be extremely terrific. This forced the super powers into war in the period between 1950s and 1960s. Atomic bomb was another technological device that might have resulted in the Cold War. The Unites States designed and built atomic bombs. When the Soviet Union realized the presence of the atomic bomb, they felt the power of the United States has overwhelmed their power. The Soviet Union tried to build an atomic bomb just like the United States do, but when the United Sates caught realized this, they started building a more powerful hydrogen bomb (Martin, 2011). Ideological Reasons The United States expressed fears regarding communism, because Americans believed in ideology. This meant that, when a nation joined communism, they would be the next victims. Containment was their solution for this, which played into the hands of Stalin. The United States became stronger with respect to military in order to ensure that they do not fall to communism (Komska, 2011). Influence of the Cold War The Cold War was a significant influence on almost every aspect of American society. Cultural enmity between the Soviet Union and the United States had both negative and positive reverberations. Mutual fear between the Soviet Union and the United States led to political confrontations; some of which almost led to the next world war (Martin, 2011). Different economic philosophies led to opposing claims of what independence meant, and economic competition resulted in massive military expenditure by both nations. Because of its influence, the Cold War acted as the defining event of the 20th centurys second half and affected almost all American domestic and foreign policy decisions in varying extents (Martin, 2011). The Cold War is a significant event because it divided the world into two different military blocs. The United States and Soviet Union set up military alliances in many parts across the world. Ideological rivalry is another influence of the Cold War. The United States established military bases across the world in order to use them against the danger of communist aggression. The Cold War influenced the occurrence of a race for powerful and deadlier weapons. This is one of the most dangerous effects of the Cold War, because the super powers developed nuclear bombs. The testing of nuclear weapon resulted in serious hazards to the civilians. Therefore, the race for armaments during the Cold War had created the danger to the survival of human beings (Martin, 2011). Beneficiaries and Sufferers of the Cold War The greatest advantage of the Cold War for the weak countries was that they could protect their national interests in line with their religious, cultural, and political environments. The weak countries were free to befriend any of the super power and use it to their benefit. The weaker countries of the world, like in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, could resolve their external and internal disputes by seeking help from their respective friend who was a super power (Saull, 2011). Such assistance was never conditional, because both the super powers would attempt to draw maximum nations under their influence. The recent example of Bosnia includes a case where America did not intervene in the period between 1992 and 1995, when the Serbs were perpetuating austerities on Muslim minority. It was only after 1995, due to a lot of criticism, that America came in and solved the issue. If it were a bipolar system, the resolution of the issue could have occurred in a much earlier period (Martin, 2011). In the period of the Cold War, any super power was not able to exploit the weak countries because the other super power would come for the rescue. However, in the present contexts, with the exception of few powerful nations, majority of the nations is liable to undergo exploitation due to a single world power. Nations like Pakistan have little alternatives, as was the case after September, 9, when Pakistan had no alternative except siding with America. The United States, being the single dominant power, is perusing various goals across the world by pressurizing weaker countries through regional hegemonic countries (Roberts, 2011). Pakistan befriended America and enjoyed more benefits than America did during the Cold War. In moral terms, America should have looked after the interests of Pakistan after the end of Cold War, but the things happened in other way round. India is a weak country that had befriended Russia, but later on, emerged as a strategic friend to America (Saull, 2011). Certainly, the Cold War was a war, and the Soviet Union, certainly, was the loser (Martin, 2011). The Soviet Union failed in its efforts to conquer the world, and has lost. The saddest example of such failure for the Soviet Union was the war in Afghanistan. For the United States, it was Vietnam, which suffered several years of bloody conflict that cost the lives of numerous Vietnamese people. Across sub-Saharan Africa, the Cold War caused, perhaps, the most negative impact on the developing world. Angola, for instance, suffered one of the longest conflicts in modern history (Komska, 2011). The Cold War was the longest and costliest event that occurred between the Soviet Union and the United States. This even took place because of a number of reasons, classified as political, technological, economic, and ideological reasons. The Cold War had significant influences to the lives of people, which resulted into both negative and positive reverberations (Martin, 2011). For instance, the invention of nuclear bombs led to the presence of deadliest weapons, which are also significant in maintaining security. The Cold War has both beneficiaries and suffers depending on its influences (Saull, 2011). Some of the weaker countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa benefitted from the Cold War, because the super powers protected their national interests in line with their religious, cultural, and political environments. However, some weaker countries like Angola suffered one of the longest conflicts in modern history due to the Cold War (Martin, 2011). Buy custom The Cold War essay

Driving Test purposal essays

Driving Test purposal essays Are you ready for your driving test? Are you 16 years old? Our program includes everything you need to pass the test. You will get the confidence and knowledge you need to become a safe and considerate driver, whilst saving you time. Our driving test is designed to establish whether you know the Rules of the Road; have the knowledge and skills to drive competently in accordance with those rules, and whether you drive with due regard for the safety and convenience of other road users because it is important to drive safely according to the rules for making driving safe. In todays busy traffic conditions, learner drivers need to acquire competence undertaking a range of vehicle control maneuvers: reversing, starting off and braking - uphill, downhill and on the flat. Our program will include more then 50 questions for you to test your self and also will include Tutorial that will give you more understanding about the rule of roads and will give you knowledge you need to become a safe driver. Our program will also include some videos that will give you better understanding of rules of roads. After studying our program you will have better understanding of why is it important to drive safe. The videos include lessons that by driving safely you are not only saving your life but also lives of others on the road. In our test there will be two parts. You have to pass both parts to get ready for the original test. Each part has 25 questions. You need to get at least 20 of the questions correct in order to pass our test. But before you will take our test you must read the Tutorial to get ready for it. The tutorial explains how the test will be and what should you know before writing the test. Our program will also give you information about How to apply for a Driver's License in Ontario. And all the equipment you will need to take with you when going to get license. It is recommended that you try this test un ...

Top 10 Italian Pronunciation Mistakes

Top 10 Italian Pronunciation Mistakes    Learn to speak your best Italian by avoiding these 10 common mistakes all beginners tend to make. 1. Mumbling It might sound obvious if you want to make yourself heard, but you must open your mouth in order to speak Italian. Native English speakers, accustomed to a language that doesnt have the big, round, vowel sounds common in Italian, should remember to open wide and enunciate. 2. Consonants that Count Twice Being able to (and hear the difference, too) is imperative. The Italian language doesnt waste letters; as a phonetic language, it’s spoken the way it’s written. So if a word contains double consonants (cassa, nonno, pappa, serra), you can assume both are pronounced- the meaning changes depending on whether a particular consonant is doubled. If youre unsure how to pronounce i consonanti doppie (), try pronouncing it twice or holding it for an extra beat. 3. Third-to-Last Verbs As with most Italian words, when pronouncing the various conjugated verb forms of the stress falls on the next-to-last syllable. The one exception is the third-person plural form, in which the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable (words in which the accent falls on the third-to-last syllable are known as parole sdrucciole). 4. One in a Million Ask a beginner (or even an intermediate) Italian language learner to pronounce terms such as figlio, pagliacci, garbuglio, glielo, and consigli and often their first reaction is a look of bewilderment: the dreaded gli combination! Even the short-cut explanation that in Italian gli is pronounced like lli in the English word million often doesnt help (nor do other technical descriptions about how to pronounce gli improve the long odds of mastery). Perhaps the most effective way to learn how to pronounce gli is to listen and repeat until it becomes second nature. Remember, though, even Michelangelo was a beginner once. 5. MonDAY to FriDAY Except for Saturday and Sunday, the days of the week in Italian are pronounced with the accent on the last syllable. Theyre even written that way to remind speakers, e.g., lunedà ¬ (Monday), how to pronounce them. But too frequently, non-native speakers ignore the accent and persist in placing the accent on the first (or other) syllable. Dont shortchange the giorni feriali (workdays)- the accent marks the stressed vowel of a word in Italian. 6. On a Roll If you can relate to the following statements, it should be obvious what troubles many who are learning to speak Italian: After several years of studying Italian I’m still unable to pronounce the letter RI would very much like to learn how to roll my Rs when I speak or sing ItalianDoes anyone have any tips on how to learn to roll your Rs? No matter how good my vocabulary or accent gets, this is a dead giveaway that Im a foreigner! Learning how to pronounce the letter r is a struggle for many, but remember: rrrrruffles have rrrrridges! 7. Italian Surnames Everyone knows how to pronounce their last name, right? In fact, posts on the About.com Italian Language forums such as how do I pronounce my last name Cangialosi? are common. Since surnames are obviously a point of pride, its not hard to understand why families would insist on pronouncing them a certain way. But second- and third-generation Italian Americans who have little or no knowledge of Italian are often unaware of how to correctly pronounce their last names, resulting in anglicized versions that bear little resemblance to the original form. When in doubt, ask a native Italian. 8. Its brus-KET-ta Dont correct me when I order. Too often, wait staff at Italian-American restaurants in the U.S. (and diners as well) dont know how to pronounce the word. In Italian, there is only one way to pronounce the letter c when followed by an h- as the English k. 9. The Morning Espresso Down that small cup of very strong coffee and jump on board the fast train to make an early morning meeting. But be sure to order an espresso from the barista, since an express(o) is a train. Its a common mistake heard everywhere, even on printed signs and menus. 10. Media Misinformation Advertising is pervasive nowadays, and because of its influence, it’s a common source of difficulty in pronouncing Italian. Jingles and taglines frequently mangle Italian words and Italian pronunciation beyond recognition, and brand-naming consultants invent pseudo-Italian names for products. Imitate at your own risk.

Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible Essay

Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible - Essay Example diplomatically, either. When he had a series of dreams that showed in symbols his brothers and parents bowing down to him, he hastened to let them know about it. This arrogance inflamed his brothers further (The old testament). Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. For twenty years they lived happily together. But like Abraham and Sarah, they had no children. Isaac pleaded with the Lord that he would bless them. So God gave them twins. Finally the big day came when the twins were born. The first came out red, and all hairy like an animal skin. They named him Esau. As Esau was born they noticed that the next child was being born holding onto Esau's heal. They named this son Jacob. As the boys grew up, Isaac seems to love Esau more than Jacob. One day Jacob was cooking up a nice lentil stew and some bread. But, before he ate it Esau came by on his way home from a hunting trip. Esau was very hungry and very tired. He had been hunting for a long time and caught nothing. Esau was starving so he begged Jacob to let him eat his nice stew. Jacob thought for a moment, and then said he would sell it to Esau for the birthright. The birthright was all the major possessions that a man owned that was always given to the oldest son. Esau was so hungry he thought that if he did not get something to eat right now he would die, so what difference would it make if he agreed to give Jacob the birthright. So Esau agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob for some bread and lentil stew. Jacob made Esau swear an oath on this agreement, and he did (Jacob and Isaac). Isaac was growing old, and he could not see well. He thought he was going to die soon, so he called Esau to him to give him the birthright blessing. While Esau was away to seek a deer, Jacod pretended to be Esau in front of his dying father and was able to get his father birthright blessings (Jacob tricks Isaac). Jacod not only took his brother's birthright, but also their father's birthright blessing as well, in those days, birthright blessing can only be given once. Even though Isaac realized later on that he gave the birthright blessing to the wrong son, he can no longer get it back. Jacob was a dishonest man due to his longing for earthly things. He tricked both his brother and father. He's actions where always governed by the flesh and its carnal desires. Jacod made two great mistakes: Firstly, he convinced his brother Esau to renounce his birthright. He has done this when Esau was so hungry and begging for food. Esau had no choice then but to submit to Jacob's condition in order not to die from hunger. Secondly, Jacob tricked his father Isaac. In order to get the birthright blessing from his father rather than to his brother, who is the oldest son. This made Esau very angry and planned to kill Jacob. The story of Joseph is what seems to be the other side of the coin. Joseph was the 11th son Jacob whom he loved the most. This made Joseph's brothers jealous and cruel with him. One day when they were all away from home, the bad brothers threw Joseph into an empty well after tearing off his coat which his father had given him. While Joseph was in the empty well, a caravan of merchants passed by. They picked him up and took him with them to Egypt as a prisoner

Augmentation of our natural abilities using technology Case Study

Augmentation of our natural abilities using technology - Case Study Example Jumping stilts were invented and patented by a German aerospace engineer known as Alexander Boeck, who came up with the invention after studying the movement and structure of the kangaroo. The question that we seek to answer is whether jumping stilts are the ideal bionics that will enhance the historical wish of man to lift him from the ground, to some it can be said to be a craze but the possibilities that this bionic holds, is deemed to be phenomenon . It should be noted that stilts have been in existence in various human societies for a couple of centuries including African, Aboriginal and Chinese societies. The good thing is that using technology current generation can use jumping stilts in a way their ancestors never deemed possible. The feats that can be achieved using jumping stilts are taunted to be unimaginable in various aspects of human life. The device uses the concept of enhancing mans Achilles tendons by reducing friction at the knee joint and promoting balance on the f eet. Jumping stilts open possibilities of what augmented human beings can be able to do including jumping and running. The many uses at the moment of jumping stilts are not limited to the following artistic expression, form of exercise which tones the whole body unlike conventional exercise routines and also is a sport to enthusiasts. The fields that will greatly benefit from stilts are athletics and exercise; this is because it takes training of performers to the next level. It is deemed to be the next big thing in the fitness industry because it provides full body workout once, something not possible with traditional exercise regimes. Robotics which is a craze in the science community will benefit from this device because they can enhance human legs to make them look like robotic animals. The phenomenal recognition of this wearable human enhancement has lead to increased recognition in the international arena such that it was used during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Ol ympic in China. Man is essentially using the feat which can be achieved by the fastest animals on the planet such as ostriches and kangaroos. The main obstacle facing its distribution is perception and also coming up with a common name. This laboratory report will work on the above considerations to prove the hypothesis and assumptions which are stated below. The adrenalin of putting the stilts on, and running or jumping with them is reported by users to be like no other, which enhances locomotion greatly. The hypothesis and assumptions will rely on the observations and experiment to persuade the scientific community that they are true. 1) Hypothesis. This is the main wearable enhancement that enables people to jump very high and run very fast, compared to when they do that on foot. Theses should however not be confused with the prosthetics worn by disabled people who participate in the Paralympics. The questions which we seek to answer is whether these bionic enhancement can enable man to get off the ground and be the fastest mammal on the earth and whether this would open possibilities for man in various fields which otherwise not be possible if we only used our natural limbs without augmentation. Already such possibilities are being tested to be used by the military, an aspect who knows which could change warfare. The ultimate aim is for this argument to be proved to be a theory by other experimenters. This

Ethics in a free market economic system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics in a free market economic system - Essay Example This is partly the concept of a free market is inextricably tied to capitalism which is an equally if not more abrasive topic. Essentially, â€Å"natural† market forces, and individual innovation as well as the underlying notion that hard work and ingenuity are rewarded by success drive a free market economy. The reason for the existence of businesses is to make a profit, ergo, successful business in the free market is bound to make the most profits irrespective of what they are dealing with or its effect on the community or even other business. The free market promoted competition which in turn provides the best possible products to customers at the most affordable price. Ideally, when a new product is launched, it starts off at a high price and then as competitors copy it the cost eventually reduces.While this paper does not offer an answer to the age-old question of the ethics of the free market economy; it will examine the various arguments that have been put forward suppo rting or disproving the assertion that the free market is an ethical and moral paradigm. A market can only be as ethical as the participants that ran it, ultimately it cannot exist in a vacuum and it is in most cases a reflection of a specific cultural environment. Far too little attention has been afforded to the connection between the free market and the totality of culture, in the most discourse on the subject, the fact that the market economy is depended on a framework of ethical presupposition is rarely ever addressed.

Moral Autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Moral Autobiography - Essay Example Genetics made me possess certain innate qualities that I find difficult to erase. However, it seems to me that socialization had a larger role in deciding my outward behavior (Text). For example, my present skills, knowledge, values, emotions and my role are all decided by the society. Admittedly, the very beginning of my socialization was from family followed by peers, school and the wider society. Thus, the beginning of my ethics was from my family, especially my parents. As my father is a Jew and mother has no affiliation with any religion, I grew up with no influence of any religion on me. However, the values of ethics that developed in me were mainly imported from the values I observed in my parents. In the early stages of my life, that is play, I imitated the surroundings I saw. I played doctor, police, father and teacher. At this stage, even without my knowing, the basic values of ethics were getting inculcated. Evidently, in the beginning, my ethics was entirely normative in nature. Admittedly, it was somewhat in the kind of the Golden Rule that one should do to others what one wants others to do to one. I learnt the fact that I should respect my parents, teachers and all elders. In addition, certain fundamentals like killing or harming is bad, it is good to help others were also incorporated into my ethical repertoire. Here, the tenets of Role Theory seem useful. According to the theory, the observable social behavior of people is like carrying out ones role in the society. For example, as a child I was made to obey my parents and all other elders I met. In addition, as the Symbolic Interaction Theory suggests, I started developing the concept of self. As I was defining myself, I found myself taking the role of a son and a student. As a child, I used to observe and play the roles of various people. As I imitated my father, I observed how my father has been with me, and thus I got the ideas of ethics. Admittedly, at this stage, I got no influence of rel igion, and the only ethical aspects of my life came from my parents' advice and observation I made. As a result of the normative nature of my ethics, I can say it was virtue ethics that I upheld in the beginning. It was inculcated not as my duty, but as a virtue I should develop. If I try to mention them, the very first thing is that one is supposed to respect all elders, especially parents and teachers. In addition, I found that unnecessarily harming anyone is morally wrong as Symbolic Interaction Theory claims. As I found that others do not engage in such activities that are harmful to others, I realized that harming others is immoral. However, as I reached adolescence and started mingling with may people, I reached what is called utilitarian concept. I found the fat that if I behave well with others, there is the feeling of wellbeing in the group I live. In addition, there was the development of deontological idea that I can expect in return, the kind of virtue I produce. In addi tion, I rightly followed the principles of virtue ethics by trying to develop a eudaimon life that gives satisfaction. Admittedly, this took place mainly because my parents, especially my mother taught me that if one has virtue in life, or if one always does good things in life, one will have peace and thus will be a good human being. However, reaching adolescence and reaching the Christian school, my concepts of ethics developed and altered a lot. Admittedly, Christian ethics varies from ethics in general. While Christian ethics stress on what

What is the problem with immigration, and how do we solve it Essay

What is the problem with immigration, and how do we solve it - Essay Example Economists and sociologists concur and disagree with this remark. This essay will look at what analysts have established and will attempt to work out the consequence that immigration has posed on the standards of livelihood of the workers in the U.S. Immigration is a diverse topic, although it could be assorted into two incredibly different components, lawful and unlawful immigration which will be mutually tackled in this report. The US has been portrayed as a melting pot due to the multiplicity that is found in the nation. Conversely, in instances when resources are scarce and the economy is stressed, immigration emerges as a debate of main concern (Brooks, 34). Being such extremely significant topic immigration has followers and opponents mutually having legitimate positions and concerns. To put into perception the manner in which the US has diversified is the fact that few data extend a long way. Presently, 12 percent of US’ inhabitants are overseas born and this guide has risen from 8 percent in 1990. Every year adding up together to the present inhabitants, which some might dispute is in fact overpopulation; somewhere from 700,000 to 900,000 citizens immigrate lawfully per year. In addition, it is probable that 500,0 00 additional people immigrate unlawfully annually. Individuals immigrate to the US from every place around the globe but the heavy bulk of immigrants in current years emerge from Latin America. Numerous economists have completed quantitative investigations to settle on the impact that immigration raise to put it on the natives’ level of comfort. Economists on either side of the coin or issue have not agreed on whether the effect on natives is optimistic or unenthusiastic even when they employ the identical information to support their position. Settlers can be perceived as â€Å"harmonizers† or â€Å"substitutes† to the actual citizens. As â€Å"harmonizers† to every other, citizens and immigrants do not fight for the identical jobs.

Equity law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Equity law - Essay Example Practically, Hudson (2009) avers that modern equity is limited by both procedural and substantive rules, with legal writers tending to focus on prevailing technicalities. From these are drawn the twelve ‘vague’ ethical statements, referred to as the maxims of equity. The ethical statements further guide in the application of equity according to civil law (Hudson, 2009:24). The concept elicits criticisms that are traceable to historical conceptualization, during its development. This is mainly based upon its lack of fixed rules, further augmented by the fact that it later on lost a majority of its flexibility. The law on perfectly constituted trusts and perfect gifts has been ‘tolerably clear’ since 1862 (Halliwell, 2003:192). This is traceable to the authoritative statement by Turner during the Milroy v Lord case (4 De G.F. & J. 264; 45 E.R. 1185; [1861-1973] All E.R. Rep. 783). Use of the term ‘tolerably clear’ is necessitated by the presence of exceptions, which were previously articulated by courts previously. Influential in this regard is interpretation of the Privy Council’s advice, during the Court of Appeal’s hearing of the Pennington v *Conv. 193 Waine case (Halliwell, 2003:192). Subsequent interpretation of the court’s ruling was viewed as providing courts of equity the unfettered discretion, concerning whether voluntary trusts or gifts should take effect. This is with regard to the role of ‘un-conscionability in Equity’, which requires principled reasoning. Pundits are thus of the view that courts of law need to utilize principled approaches, as opposed to the exercising of unfettered discretion that is based on individual notions of judges pertaining to what is fair or not (Halliwell, 2003:194). The presence of ‘unfettered discretion’ potentially has far reaching consequences, with regard to voluntary property dispositions. Thus, the presence of voluntary settlement can occur by way of

What is the problem with immigration, and how do we solve it Essay

What is the problem with immigration, and how do we solve it - Essay Example Economists and sociologists concur and disagree with this remark. This essay will look at what analysts have established and will attempt to work out the consequence that immigration has posed on the standards of livelihood of the workers in the U.S. Immigration is a diverse topic, although it could be assorted into two incredibly different components, lawful and unlawful immigration which will be mutually tackled in this report. The US has been portrayed as a melting pot due to the multiplicity that is found in the nation. Conversely, in instances when resources are scarce and the economy is stressed, immigration emerges as a debate of main concern (Brooks, 34). Being such extremely significant topic immigration has followers and opponents mutually having legitimate positions and concerns. To put into perception the manner in which the US has diversified is the fact that few data extend a long way. Presently, 12 percent of US’ inhabitants are overseas born and this guide has risen from 8 percent in 1990. Every year adding up together to the present inhabitants, which some might dispute is in fact overpopulation; somewhere from 700,000 to 900,000 citizens immigrate lawfully per year. In addition, it is probable that 500,0 00 additional people immigrate unlawfully annually. Individuals immigrate to the US from every place around the globe but the heavy bulk of immigrants in current years emerge from Latin America. Numerous economists have completed quantitative investigations to settle on the impact that immigration raise to put it on the natives’ level of comfort. Economists on either side of the coin or issue have not agreed on whether the effect on natives is optimistic or unenthusiastic even when they employ the identical information to support their position. Settlers can be perceived as â€Å"harmonizers† or â€Å"substitutes† to the actual citizens. As â€Å"harmonizers† to every other, citizens and immigrants do not fight for the identical jobs.

Tuition Fees in British Universities Essay Example for Free

Tuition Fees in British Universities Essay Review   all   the   arguments   for   and   against   the   introduction   of   Tuition   Fees   for   entry   into   British   Universities   as   reported   in   the   media. Introduction British   higher   education   enjoyed   the   golden   days   of   70s   –   80s   when   the   generous   support   of   taxpayer   was   even   protected   from   the   intrusion   of   the   Government   by   the   autonomous   University   Grants   Committee.   During   this   period,   not   only   there   were   no   tuition   fees   but   there   was   also   a   generous   means-tested   mandatory   grants   enjoyed   by   most   of   the   students. However,   these   generous   facilities   could   not   be   maintained   since   the   beginnings   of   1980s   and   the   gradual   abolition   of   support   started   with   eliminating   the   overseas   students’   subsidies,   limitations   in   the   eligibility   for   general   social   welfare   grants   and   the   freezing   of   mandatory   grants.    Eventually   grants   were   totally   abolished   in   1997   and   were   replaced   by   loans.   (Johnstone,   2004)   The   Labour   party   represented   by   Mr   Charles   Clarke,   Secretary   of   State   for   Education,   proposed   legislation   for   top-up   fees   which   became   law   in   the   Higher   Education   Act   2004,   though   it   will   be   implemented   in   the   2006   –   2007   academic   year. Previously   the   undergraduate   fees   in   most   universities   were    £1,050.   However,   by   the   implementation   of   differential   fees   or   top-up   the   universities   will   be   able   to   charge   much   more.   According   to   the   Guardian   (2002)   â€Å"The   new   proposals   would   mean   that   universities   could   charge   nearer   the   real   cost   of   studying,   thought   to   be   an   average   of    £5,000   in   the   UK.   But   depending   on   the   institution,   department   and   course,   it   could   be   much   more.   More   loans   would   be   available   to   allow   students   to   pay   fees   up   front.† This   issue   has   been   debated   by   different   parties   and   is   still   facing   a   lot   of   opposition   despite   the   fact   that   it   is   meant   to   be   implemented   in   the   academic   year   2006   –   2007.   In   this   paper   I   am   going   to   study   the   arguments   for   and   against   under   the   following   headings: The Political   Debate Universities and   Students’   Point   of   View Conclusions The   Political   Debate The   Government’s   debate   for   top-up   tuition   fees   originates   from   describing   the   role   and   mission   of   universities   and   the   challenges   they   face   to   accomplish   their   goals.   Mr   Clarke   summarises   the   ambitions   that   the   Government   is   planning   to   achieve   by   the   proposal   in   his   white   paper   as: â€Å"First,   our   universities   have   to   make   better   progress   in   harnessing   our   knowledge   to   the   process   of   creating   wealth. And,   second,   they   have   to   extend   the   opportunities   of   higher   education   to   all   of   our   population,   irrespective   of   their   personal   and   economic   background†Ã‚   (Clark’s   White   Paper   Speech) Then   he   further   states   the   role   of   universities   nationally   in   adapting   to   the   changing   world   and   effecting   change   rather   than   being   affected   by   it. â€Å"In   short,   in   a   world   of   accelerating   change,   we   all   need   to   understand   that   our   societys   principal   weapon   in   ensuring   that   we   master   change,   rather   than   surrendering   to   it,   is   our   education   system,   and   principally   our   universities† Then   he   identifies   the   missions   of   the   universities:   â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚   are   research,   knowledge   transfer   and,   perhaps   most   important   of   all,   teaching†Ã‚   (Clarke,   White   Paper   Speech)   Then   he   describes   the   challenges   universities   face   to   achieve   these   missions   and   argues   for   an   ‘endowment’   device   as   the   best   solution   for   creating   ‘a   financial   regime’.   However,   this   will   take   a   long   time   before   it   becomes   a   reliable   resource.   Therefore   he   argues   for   the   short   term   funding   and   concludes: â€Å"As   countries   throughout   the   world   have   discovered,   requiring   students   to   contribute   to   the   cost   of   their   education   is   the   only   realistic   alternative.† The   Government’s   justification   is   that   this   is   only   fair   since   graduates   earn   double   the   earnings   of   non-graduates   and   therefore   should   contribute   to   the   system   producing   the   considerable   economic   benefits   they   will   enjoy   as   graduates.   It   is   also   pointed   out   that   the   taxpayer   will   rightly   make   a   comparison   and   ask   what   they   benefit   from   their   support   of   the   system. The   Secretary   of   State   for   Education   announced   the   details   of   the   Government’s   proposal,   which   can   be   summarised   in   the   following   points: Universities will   be   able   to   vary   fees   from    £0   to    £3,000      but   fees   can   vary   between   courses,   not   just   between Disadvantaged students   will   get   financial   support   to   study   what   they   want   when   they All students   will   also   protect   by   abolishing   up-front      This   means   no   student      or   their   family      has   to   find   tuition   fees   before   they   start   their   course. Students will   be   helped   further   by   increasing   the   student   loan   in   line   with   living      Students   shouldnt   have   to   rely   on   credit   cards   and   commercial   debt. The bursary   system   will   also   be   fair   on   both   students   and   the   universities,   who   will   use   some   of   their   extra   income   to   provide The   immediate   criticism   made   was   that   the   Labour   Party   effected   the   legislation   though   their   manifesto   promise   regarding   tuition   fees   reads:   â€Å"We   have   no   plans   to   introduce   University   top-up   fees,   and   have   legislated   to   prevent   their   introduction.   The   defensive   rebuttal   made   by   the   Labour   Party   is   that   the   legislation   will   not   take   effect   during   2001   –   2005   Parliament   which   angered   even   the   supporters   of   the   Labour   Party   who   did   not   like   this   mechanism   of   defence. On   the   other   hand,   the   Liberal   Democrats   Party   has   a   strong   counter   debate   based   on   a   number   of   points.   Firstly   they   think   that   top-up   fees   are   unfair   for   a   number   of   reasons: They claim   that   tuition   fees   widened   the   gap   between   social   classes   the   evidence   for   which   is   provided   by   the   independent   National   Audit   Office,   which   belongs   to   the      In   their   research   report   in   the   Student   Income   and   Expenditure   Survey   2002-2003   they   conclude   that   â€Å"The   social   class   gap   among   those   entering   higher   education   is   unacceptably   wide   and   has   widened. Tuition fees   have   been   a   strong   disincentive   for   access   to   higher   education;   and   now   with   the   top-up   fees   this   situation   will      In   fact,   this   is   the   conclusion   of   Professor   Claire   Callender   of   South   Bank   University   who   conducted   a   research   for   the   Government.   He   concludes:   Top-up   fees   of    £3000   will   put   even   more   poor   students   off   university. The poorest   students   are   affected   most   of   all   by   the   debt      This   is   evidential   in   the   Student   Income   and   Expenditure   Survey   which   reports   that   in   2002-2003,   the   poorest   students   affected   by   the   burden   of   debt   were   43%   more   than   the   rich   students.   More   evidences   were   provided   by   Barclay   in   a   survey   conducted   in   2004   (Annual   Survey   of   Expected   Student   Debt)   which   revealed   that   the   projected   average   debt   on   graduation   is    £12,069   (up   10%   on   the   previous   year).   Barclays   surveys   also   predicted   that   debt   on   graduation   will   triple   by   2010,   to    £33,708. Another point   indicating   social   classes   gap   is   the   fact   that   poor   students   take   longer   hours   of   paid      Statistics   of   Students   Income   and   Expenditure   Survey   of   2002-2003   report   that   58%   of   students   took   paid   work   during   term   time   while   this   was   47%   in   the   survey   of   1998-1999.   This   situation   is   particularly   bad   for   students   on   longer   courses,   e.g.   medical   students According to   their   ‘Sign   the   Petition’   article   titled   â€Å"Scrap   Tuition   Fees   and   Top-up   Fees†Ã‚   the   repayment   system   is   also      In   their   own   words: â€Å"The   post-graduation   repayment   system   will   impose   what   amounts   to   a   very   high   marginal   rate   of   income   tax   (higher   than   the   rate   paid   by   a   millionaire)   on   those   least   able   to   pay      young   graduates   just   out   of   college   and   those   working   in   lower   paid   jobs   in   the   public   services   and   voluntary   sector   (disproportionately   women   and   from   the   ethnic   minorities).   The   House   of   Commons   Library   concludes   that   graduates   earning   as   low   as    £35,115   are   already   paying   a   marginal   tax   rate   of   50%,   as   they   pay   off   their   student   loans.   They   will   be   doing   so   for   a   great   deal   longer   to   pay   off   much   greater   debts   if   top-up   fees   are   introduced   as   the   Government   proposes.   The   Library   figures   also   reveal   that   graduates   earning   as   little   as    £15,000   will   pay   a   marginal   tax   rate   of   42%,   more   than   the   current   marginal   rate   for   the   very   highest   earners.† Secondly,   the   Liberal   Democrats   claim   that   top-up   fees   will   not   solve   the   funding   problem.   While   there   is   no   question   that   universities   need   money,   the   important   question   is   where   this   money   should   come   from.   The   Government’s   argument   in   support   of   top-up   fees   is   that   it   will   create   â€Å"a   more   sustainable   funding   regime†,   the   same   justification   of   for   tuition   fees   which   did   not   sort   out   the   funding   problem   for   universities.   Similar   results   are   expected   with   top-up   fees. Top-up   fees   will   not   solve   the   funding   problem:   Everybody   agrees   that   universities   need   more   money.   The   question   is,   where   should   the   money   come   from?   The   Government   says   that   top-up   fees   are   needed   in   order   to   create   a   more   sustainable   funding   regime.   But   exactly   the   same   argument   was   used   to   justify   tuition   fees.   Instead,   funding   per   student   by   the   taxpayer   was   cut   during   Labours   first   term   in   office   and   tuition   fees   merely   plugged   the   gap,   leaving   universities   no   better   off.   The   same   is   likely   to   happen   with   top-up   fees. Thirdly   the   Liberal   Democrats   believe   that   the   Government’s   scheme   is   inefficient. â€Å"The   Government   is   switching   from   up-front   fees   to   post-graduation   repayment   via   the   student   loan   system.   The   cost   to   the   taxpayer   of   financing   this   debt   will   be   substantial.   The   Explanatory   Notes   published   alongside   the   Higher   Education   Bill   indicate   that,   in   order   to   raise    £1   billion   for   universities   in   top-up   fees   income,   the   cost   to   the   taxpayer   will   be   in   the   region   of    £445   million†Ã‚   (Scrap   the   Tuition   Fees   article). Finally   the   liberal   Democrats   are   of   the   opinion   that   education   should   be   free   and   nobody   should   be   denied   access   to   learning   because   of   their   financial   abilities.   This   cannot   be   achieved   unless   tuition   is   free. The   Liberal   Democrats   are   challenged   by   a   valid   question:   What   would   you   do?   They   promise   that   they   would   abolish   all   tuition   fees.   In   other   words   they   would   cancel   the   present    £1125   and   make   sure   that   no   other   charge   will   be   considered. In   addition   they   would   assist   the   low-income   students   by   reintroducing   maintenance   grants   to   meet   living   costs   and   restore   the   students’   right   to   housing   and   unemployment   benefits   during   summer.   The   assistance   will   not   be   limited   to   students   it   will   also   be   extended   to   universities   by   providing   more   resources   that   will   enable   them   to   recruit   and   retain   good   staff   and   improve   the   quality   of   services   in   terms   of   buildings   and   libraries   etc.   A   more   ambitious   resolution   is   the   following: â€Å"Develop   a   21st   century   higher   education   system   which   would   bring   together   universities,   further   education   and   e-learning,   open   up   routes   to   technical   and   vocational   as   well   as   academic   qualifications   and   make   it   easier   for   those   who   wish   to   study   part-time†Ã‚   (Scrap   Tuition   Fees   article† However,   how   is   this   going   to   be   achieved?   The   Liberal   Democrats   say   that   these   commitments   can   be   funded   by   their   proposed   50%   income   tax   for   those   who   earn   more   than    £100,000.   Whether   this   would   be   sufficient   or   not   is   another   question   to   be   answered. Universities   and   Students’   Point   of   View Universities   UK,   a   body   representing   vice-chancellors,   is   of   the   opinion   that   the   Education   Bill   (which   is   now   a   law)   is   necessary   and   fair.   (Brown,   2003)   Brown   emphasises   the   need   for   increased   funding   for   university   teaching,   which   had   been   reduced   over   the   last   two   decades   resulting   in   universities   facing   difficulties   to   achieve   their   main   goals.   He   asserts   that   â€Å"we   risk   losing   our   international   reputation   for   the   quality   and   effectiveness   of   our   higher   education   system.† Another   Universities   UK   authority   asked   to   comment   by   the   BBC   News   commented   as   follows: â€Å"Lets   look   at   what   is   actually   being   proposed   in   the   UK.   The   package   here   offers   students   no   up-front   fees,   loan   forgiveness   at   25   years,   no   real   rate   of   interest,   a   generous   grant   and   bursary   system   and   a   cap   on   the   fee   itself.   By   these   means,   the   UK   scheme   seeks   to   avoid   the   problems   which   others   have   found   elsewhere.   What   is   being   proposed   in   the   UK   will   ensure   that   the   poorest   students   will   be   better   off   while   studying   under   these   arrangements   than   they   are   now      and   they   are   also   effectively   indemnified   against   low   earnings   after   graduation.† Therefore,   we   can   conclude   that   universities   support   the   Government’s   proposal   and   see   it   as   the   most   appropriate   solution.   Brown   in   his   articles   dismissed   the   counter   argument   of   the   Conservatives   and   concluded   that   the   Government’s   proposal   is   fair   and   offers   a   sustainable   solution: â€Å"Universities   are   asking   for   a   major   increase   in   funding,   partly   from   public   funds   and   partly   from   individuals.   Given   the   scale   of   the   funding   gap,   Universities   UK   thinks   it’s   fair   to   ask   those   who   benefit   most   from   higher   education   –   graduates   –   to   contribute   proportionally   more   to   its   costs.   While   the   higher   earnings   of   graduates   mean   that   the   majority   of   UK   taxpayers   who   earn   over    £100,000   have   benefited   from   higher   education,   a   significant   proportion   of   this   group   have   not.   We   therefore   consider   this   solution   to   be   a   relatively   poorly   targeted   way   of   raising   the   necessary   money,   compared   with   the   form   of   progressive   taxation   offered   by   the   Government   proposals   which   targets   only   those   who   have   been   to   university.† On   the   other   hand,   students   represented   by   National   Union   of   Students,   seem   to   be   against   the   to-up   fees   scheme   and   are   pointing   out   the   fall   in   applications   for   universities   which   they   describe   as   â€Å"extremely   worrying†.   In   the   words   of   NUS   president   Kat   Fletcher,   â€Å"The   drop   in   applications   is   extremely   worrying,   and   suggests   that   top-up   fees   and   the   debt   they   represent   are   deterring   potential   students. According   to   Mandy   Telford,   National   Union   of   Students   president: â€Å"If   top-up   fees   come   in,   then   more   and   more   students   will   be   forced   to   choose   their   course   based   on   its   cost   and   therefore   put   themselves   at   a   disadvantage   before   they   even   graduate.   Increased   fees   will   mean   some   employers   will   look   at   the   cost   of   a   course   rather   than   a   graduates   ability.   Furthermore,   if   the   Government   does   not   provide   a   decent   student   funding   package,   then   those   students   forced   to   work   long   hours   in   paid   work   will   be   unable   to   get   involved   in   CV-enhancing   extra-curricular   activities.   This   will   further   widen   the   gulf   between   the   haves   and   have-nots   on   campus   and   after   grad uation.† It   is   obvious   that   the   students   are   against   the   scheme   and   are   worried   about   consequences   they   portrait   whether   they   are   actual   or   assumed   ones. Conclusions It   is   definite   that   the   scheme   proposed   by   the   Government   is   facing   a   lot   of   opposition   mainly   from   obviously   the   Liberal   Democrats,   the   UK’s   well   organized   National   Student   Unions,   the   Labour   Party’s   vocal   political   left.   This   is   so   despite   the   fact   that   some   parts   of   the   Government’s   proposal   seem   fair   and   plausible. It   would   have   been   in   the   interest   of   all   parties   concerned   to   remove   the   issue   from   the   political   agenda   and   refer   it   to   professionals   to   study   and   recommend   feasible   solutions. References Johnstone, D. Bruce (2004) – Fear and Loathing of Tuition Fees: An American Perspective on Higher Education Finance in the UK – downloaded on 12 December from: http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/org/inthigheredfinance/Publications/Fear%20and%20Loathing%20of%20Tuition%20Fees%20PDF.pdf Liberal Democrats (scraptuitionfees.com) – Why do the Liberal Democrats oppose tuition fees and to-up fees? – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://www.scraptuitionfees.com/pages/Why.phtml Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia – Top-up fees – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-up_fees Curtis, Polly – Clarke comes out fighting over fees -Guardian Unlimited (November 26 2003) – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/queensspeech2003/story/0,13994,1093724,00.html Newspaper Article Students Want Top-Up Fees Looked at as Applications Fall The Birmingham Post February 16, 2006. Newspaper Article – Charles Clarke’s statement to the Commons – Guardian Unlimited (January 22 2003) – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://education.guardian.co.uk/specialreports/tuitionfees/story/0,,880051,00.html Nigel Brown (2003) – What’s it worth? The case for variable graduate contributions: A report for Universities UK – Universities UK BBC News Viewpoints: Tuition fees – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3583401.stm Webb, Steve –Liberal Democrat MP (11 August 2003) – Current Features: Top-up Fees Cause Universal Concern – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliament/feature.html?id=5133navPage=features.html Guardian Unlimited (November 26 2003) – Paying the price in education – downloaded on 11 December 2006 from: http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/tuitionfees/story/0,12757,1093673,00.html Sing Gill, Parmjit MP (25 January 2005) – Adjournment Debate: University top-up and tuition fees – downloaded on 11 December 2006 fro: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/parliament/showBriefing.asp?id=20