Appealing Letter Assignment Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Appealing Letter Assignment - Personal Statement Example From an economic point of view, I gauge that Manama is blessed with the reputation of being the freest market in the Middle East apart from having the fastest growth rate economically. In order to sustain and nurture this explosive economic growth it is only prudent that Bahrain welcomes more labor, skilled as well as semi-skilled. News reports say that, Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) while leading the Kingdom's delegation to the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos held in January 2008 announced plans of raising the country's profile economically. In the context of tourism, it beats its cosmopolitan neighbor Dubai in terms of providing cheaper and more luxurious accommodation. Bahrain is fast emerging as the favorite tourist spot for many tourists in Saudi Arabia due to its proximity and similar cost structure. A major restructuring and expansion project is underway at the Manama airport as part of making it a major cargo hub. Strategically placed in the Middle East, Bahrain has the potential to serve as Cargo centre in the Persian Gulf. Termed the Cargo Oasis an integrated facility is being built on the north of the existing airport. Ahmed Nemat, Assistant Undersecretary Civil Aviation Affairs announced this at the inauguration of the Air Cargo Show 2008. "MANAMA: Workers of a top garment factory went on a rampage... Drawing Flak: But Shamim, of recent, Bahrain has attained a bad reputation of being cruel to its foreign workforce both domestic and industrial. Two cases are being cited as examples here. 27-Mar-05: Labor rage, GDN: "MANAMA: Workers of a top garment factory went on a rampage last night following the death of a colleague. More than 500 Asians working for the MRS Fashions, which makes trousers for J C Penny, started damaging the factory's East Riffa premises after their colleague, who was kept in isolation for 15 days due to chicken pox, committed suicide." (GDN,27-Mar-05, Labor rage) . 7-Jun-04: Sale!! Only BD300 for Bahraini torture! GDN MANAMA: A Bahraini man was jailed for three months yesterday after being convicted of torturing a Bangladeshi employee. The sentence will be suspended if the 26-year-old fish trap maker pays a BD300 fine. (GDN,07-Jun-04, Sale!! Only BD300 for Bahraini torture!) I was disturbed to read these reports in the daily local newspapers. The pace of growth and potential for more infrastructural development naturally necessitates a growing labor population and hence a burgeoning expatriate community in Bahrain. Hence my humble suggestion to you is to galvanize the authorities involved to provide for the safety and security of women and men involved in the developmental work of the illustrious nation. As the two examples point out, the labor force working for Bahrain is denied their self respect, honor and even their earnings. My suggestion is for you to tell the authorities in charge of labor affairs to constitute special laws to take care of foreign workers, ensure their safety and see to it that no more exploitation takes place. My added request to you would be to ask the authorities so that

The House in Zapote Street Essay Example for Free

The House in Zapote Street Essay Quijano de Manila is the pen name of Nick Joaquin. He started writing before the war and his first story, â€Å"Three Generations† has been hailed as a masterpiece. He has been recipient of almost all the prestigious awards in literature and the arts, including the National Artist Award for Literature in 1976. He was also conferred, among other recognitions, the Republic Cultural Heritage Award for Literature in 1961, the Journalist of the Year Award in the early 1960s, the Book of the Year Award in 1979 for his Almanac for Manileà ±os, the national Book award for several of his works, the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, Creative Communication Arts (the Asian counterpart of Nobel Prize) in 1996, and the Tanglaw ng Lahi Award in 1997. Dr. Leonardo Quitangon, a soft-spoken, mild-mannered, cool-tempered Caviteno, was still fancy-free at 35 when he returned to Manila, after six years abroad. Then, at the University of Santo Tomas, where he went to reach, he met Lydia Cabading, a medical intern. He liked her quiet ways and began to date her steadily. They went to the movies and to basketball games and he took her a number of times to his house in Sta. Mesa, to meet his family. Lydia was then only 23 and looked like a sweet unspoiled girl, but there was a slight air of mystery about her. Leonardo and his brothers noticed that she almost never spoke of her home life or her childhood; she seemed to have no gay early memories to share with her lover, as sweethearts usually crave to do. And whenever it looked as if she might have to stay out late, she would say: Ill have to tell my father first. And off she would go, wherever she was, to tell her father, though it meant going all the way to Makati, Rizal, where she lived w ith her parents in a new house on Zapote Street. The Quitangons understood that she was an only child and that her parents were, therefore, over-zealous in looking after her. Her father usually took her to school and fetched her after classes, and had been known to threaten to arrest young men who stared at her on the streets or pressed too close against her on jeepneys. This high-handedness seemed natural enough, for Pablo Cabading, Lydias father was a member of the Manila Police Depatment. After Lydia finished her internship, Leopardo Quitangon became a regular visitor at the house on Zapote Street: he was helping her prepare for the board exams. Her family seemed to like him. The mother Anunciacion, struck him as a mousy woman unable to speak save at her husbands bidding. There was a foster son, a little boy the Cabadings had adopted. As for Pablo Cabading, he was a fine strapping man, an Ilocano, who gave the impression of being taller than he was and looked every inch an agent of the law: full of brawn and guts and force, and smoldering with vitality. He was a natty dresser, liked youthful colors and styles, decorated his house with pictures of himself and, at 50, looked younger than his inarticulate wife, who was actually two years younger than he. When Leonardo started frequenting the house on Zapote Street, Cabading told him: ill be frank with you. None of Lydias boy friends ever lasted ten minutes in this house. I didnt like them and I told them so and made them get out. Then he added laying a hand on the young doctors shoulder: But I like you. You are a good man. The rest of the household were two very young maids who spoke almost no Tagalog, and two very fierce dogs, chained to the front door in the day time, unchained in the front yard at night. The house of Zapote Street is in the current architectural clichà ©: the hoity-toity Philippine split-level suburban style—a half-story perched above the living area, to which it is bound by the slope of the roof and which it overlooks from a balcony, so that a person standing in the sala can see the doors of the bedrooms and bathroom just above his head. The house is painted, as is also the current fashion, in various pastel shades, a different color to every three or fou r planks. The inevitable piazza curves around two sides of the house, which has a strip of lawn and a low wall all around it. The Cabadings did not keep a car, but the house provides for an eventual garage and driveway. This, and the furniture, the shell lamps and the fancy bric-a-brac that clutters the narrow house indicate that the Cabadings had not only risen high enough to justify their split-level pretensions but were expecting to go higher. Lydia took the board exams and passed them. The lovers asked her fathers permission to wed. Cabading laid down two conditions: that the wedding would ba a lavish one and that was to pay a downy of P5.000.00. The young doctor said that he could afford the big wedding but the big dowry. Cabading shrugged his shoulders; no dowry, no marriage. Leonarado spent some frantic weeks scraping up cash and managed to gather P3.000.00. Cabading agreed to reduce his price to that amount, then laid down a final condition: after the wedding, Lydia and Leonardo must make their home at the house on Zapote Street. I built this house for Lydia, said Cabading, and I want her to live here even when shes married. Besides, her mother couldnt bear to be separated from Lydia, her only child. There was nothing. Leonardo could do but consent. Lydia and Leonardo were on September 10 last year, at the Cathedral of Manila, with Mrs. Delfin Montano, wife of the Cavite governor, and Senator Ferdinand Marcos as sponsors. The reception was at the Selecta. The status gods of Suburdia were properly propitiated. Then the newlyweds went to live on Zapote Street and Leonardo almost immediately realized why Lydia had been so reticent and mysterious about her home life. The cozy family group that charmed him in courtship days turned out to be rather too cozy. The entire household revolved in submission around Pablo Cabading. The daughter, mother, the foster-son, the maids and even the dogs trembled when the lifted his voice. Cabading liked to brag that was a killer: in 1946 he had shot dead two American soldiers he caught robbing a neighbors house in Quezon City. Leonardo found himself within a family turned in on itself, self-enclosed and self-sufficient — in a house that had no neighbors and no need for any. His brothers say that he made more friends in the neighborhood within the couple of months he stayed there than the Cabadings had made in a year. Pablo Cabading did not like what his to stray out of, and what was not his to stray into, his house. And within that house he wanted to be the center of everything, even of his daughters honeymoon. Whenever Leonardo and Lydia went to the movies or for a ride, Cabading insisted on being taken along. If they seated him on the back scat while they sat together in front, be raged and glowered. He wanted to sit in front with them. When Leonardo came home from work, he must not tarry with Lydia in the bedroom chatting: both of them must come down at once to the sala and talk with their father. Leonardo explained that he was not much of a talking: Thats why I fell in love with Lydia, because shes the quiet type too. No matter, said Cabading. They didnt have to talk at all; he would do all the talking himself, so long as they sat there in the sala before his eyes. So, his compact family group sat around him at night, silent, while Cabading talked and talked. But, finally, the talk had stop, the listeners had to rise and retire and it was this moment that Cabading seemed unable to bear. He couldnt bear to see Lydia and Leonardo rise and go up together to their room. One night, unable to bear it any longer he shouted, as they rose to retire: Lydia, you sleep with your mother tonight. She has a toothache. After a dead look at her husband, Lydia obeyed. Leonardo went to bed alone. The incident would be repeated: there would always be other reasons, besides Mrs. Cabadings toothaches. What horrified Leonardo was not merely what being done to him but his increasing acquiesces. Had his spirit been so quickly broken? Was he, too, like the rest of the household, being drawn to revolve, silently and obediently, around the master of the house? Once, late at night, he suddenly showed up at his parents’ house in Sta. Mesa and his brothers were shocked at the great in him within so short a time. He looked terrified. What had happened? His car had broken down and he had had it repaired and now he could not go home. But why not? You dont know my father-in-law, he groaned. Everybody in that house must be in by a certain hour. Otherwise, the gates are locked, the doors are locked, the windows are locked. Nobody can get in anymore!† A younger brother, Gene offered to accompany him home and explain to Cabading what had happened. The two rode to Zapote and found the house dark and locked up. Says Gene: That memory makes my blood boil my eldest brother fearfully clanging and clanging the gate, and nobody to let him in. 1 wouldnt have waited a second, but he waited five, ten, fifteen minutes, knocking at thai gate, begging to be let in. I couldnt have it! In the end the two brothers rode back to Sta. Mesa, where Leonardo spent the night. When he returned to the house on Zapote the next day, his father-in-law greeted him with a sarcastic question: Where were you? At a basketball game? Leonardo became anxious to take his wife away from that house. He talked it over with her, then they went to tell her father. Said Cabading bluntly: If she goes with you, Ill shoot her head before your eyes. His brothers urged him to buy a gun, but Leonardo felt in his pocket and said, Ive got my rosary. Cried his brother Gene: You cant fight a gun with a rosary!. When Lydia took her oath as a physician, Cabading announced that only he and his wife would accompany Lydia to the ceremony. I would not be fair, he said, to let Leonardo, who had not borne the expenses of Lydias education, to share that moment of glory too. Leonardo said that, if he would like them at least to use his car. The offer was rejected. Cabading preferred to hire a taxi. After about two months at the house on Zapote Street, Leonardo moved out, alone. Her parents would not let Lydia go and she herself was too afraid to leave. During the succeeding weeks, efforts to contact her proved futile. The house on Zapote became even more closed to the outside world. If Lydia emerged from it at all, she was always accompanied by her father, mother or foster-brother, or by all three. When her husband heard that she had started working at a hospital he went there to see her but instead met her father coming to fetch her. The very next day, Lydia was no longer working at the hospital. Leonardo knew that she was with child and he was determined to bear all her prenatal expenses. He went to Zapote one day when her father was out and persuaded her to come out to the yard but could not make her make the money he offered across the locked gate. Just mail it, she cried and fled into the house. He sent her a check by registered mail; it was promptly mailed back to him. On Christmas Eve, Leonardo returned to the house on Zapote with a gift for his wife, and stood knocking at the gate for so long the neighbors gathered at windows to watch him. Finally, he was allowed to enter, present his gift to Lydia and talk with her for a moment. She said that her father seemed agreeable to a meeting with Leonardos father, to discuss the young couples problem. So the elder Quitangon and two of his younger sons went to Zapote one evening. The lights were on in Cabading house, but nobody responded to their knocking. Then all the lights were turned off. As they stood wondering what to do, a servant girl came and told them that the master was out. (Lydia would later tell them that they had not been admitted because her father had not yet decided what she was to say to them.) The last act of this curious drama began Sunday last week when Leonardo was astounded to receive an early-morning phone call from his wife. She said she could no longer bear to be parted from him and bade him pick her up at a certain church, where she was with her foster brother. Leonardo rushed to the church, picked up two, dropped the boy off at a street near Zapote, then sped with Lydia to Maragondon, Cavite where the Quitangons have a house. He stopped at a gasoline station to call up his brothers in Sta. Mesa, to tell them what he had done and to warn them that Cabading would surely show up there. Get Mother out of the house, he told his brothers. At about ten in the morning, a taxi stopped before the Quitangon house in Sta. Mesa and Mrs. Cabading got out and began screaming at the gate: Wheres my daughter? Wheres my daughter? Gene and Nonilo Quitangin went out to the gate and invited her to come in. No! No! All I want is my daughter! she screamed. Cabading, who was inside the waiting taxi, then got out and demanded that the Quitangons produce Lydia. Vexed, Nonilo Quitangon cried: Abah, what have we do with where your daughter is? Anyway, shes with her husband. At that, Cabading ran to the taxi, snatched a submachinegun from a box, and trained it on Gene Quitangon. (Nonilo had run into the house to get a gun.) Produce my daughter at once or Ill shoot you all down! shouted Cabading. Gene, the guns muzzle practically in his face, sought to pacify the older man: Why cant we talk this over quietly, like decent people, inside the house? Look, were creating a scandal in the neighborhood.. Cabading lowered his gun. I give you till midnight tonight to produce my daughter, he growled. If you dont, you better ask the PC to guard this house! Then he and his wife drove off in the taxi, just a moment before the mobile police patrol the neighbors had called arrived. The police advised Gene to file a complaint with the fiscals office. Instead, Gene decided to go to the house on Zapote Street, hoping that diplomacy would work. To his surprise, he was admitted at once by a smiling and very genial Cabading. You are a brave man, he told Gene, and a lucky one, And he ordered a coke brought for the visitor. Gene said that he was going to Cavite but could not promise to produce. Lydia by midnight: it was up to the couple to decide whether they would come back. It was about eight in the evening when Gene arrived in Maragondon. As his car drove into the yard of this familys old house, Lydia and Leonardo appeared at a window and frantically asked what had happened. Nothing, said Gene, and their faces lit up. Were having our honeymoon at last, Lydia told Gene as he entered the house. And the old air of dread, of mystery, did seem to have lifted from her face. But it was there again when, after supper, he told them what had happened in Sta. Mesa. I cant go back, she moaned. Hell kill me! Hell kill me! He has cooled down now, said Gene. He seems to be a reasonable man after all. Oh, you dont know him! cried Lydia. Ive known him longer, and Ive never, never been happy! And the brothers at last had glimpses of the girlhood she had been so reticent about. She told them of Cabadings baffling changes of temper, especially toward her; how smiles and found words and caresses could abruptly turn into beatings when his mood darkened. Leonardo said that his father-in-law was an artista, Remember how he used to fan me when I supped there while I was courting Lydia? (At about that time, in Sta. Mesa, Nonilo Quitanongon, on guard at the gate of his familys house, saw Cabading drive past three times in a taxi.) I cant force you to go back, said Gene. Youll have to decide that yourselves. But what, actually, are you planning to do? You cant stay forever here in Maragondon. What would you live on? The two said they would talk it over for a while in their room. Gene waited at the supper table and when a long time had passed and they had not come back he went to the room. Finding the door ajar, he looked in. Lydia and Leonardo were on their knees on the floor, saying the rosary, Gene returned to the supper table. After another long wait, the couple came out of the room. Said Lydia: We have prayed together and we have decided to die together.† Well go back with you, in the morning. They we’re back in Manila early the next morning. Lydia and Leonardo went straight to the house in Sta. Mesa, where all their relatives and friends warned them not to go back to the house on Zapote Street, as they had decided to do. Confused anew, they went to the Manila police headquarters to ask for advice, but the advice given seemed drastic to them: summon Cabading and have it out with him in front of his superior officer. Leonardos father then offered to go to Zapote with Gene and Nonilo, to try to reason with Cabading. They found him in good humor, full of smiles and hearty greetings. He reproached his balae for not visiting him before. I did come once, drily remarked the elder Quitangon, but no one would open the gate. Cabading had his wife called. She came into the room and sat down. Was I in the house that night our balae came? her husband asked her. No, you were out, she replied. Having spoken her piece, she got up and left the room. (On their various visits to the house on Zapote Street, the Quitangons noticed that Mrs. Cabading appeared only when summoned and vanished as soon as she had done whatever was expected of her). Cabading then announced that he no longer objected to Lydias moving out of the house to live with her husband in an apartment of their own. Overjoyed, the Quitangons urged Cabading to go with them in Sta. Mesa, so that the newlyweds could be reconciled with Lydias parents. Cabading readily agreed. When they arrived in Sta. Mesa, Lydia and Leonardo were sitting on a sofa in the sala. Why have you done this? her father chided her gently. If you wanted to move out, did you have to run away? To Leonardo, he said: And you are angry with me? house by themselves. Gene Quitangon felt so felt elated he proposed a celebration: Ill throw a blow-out! Everybody is invited! This is on me! So they all went to Maxs in Quezon City and had a very merry fried-chicken party. Why, this is a family reunion! laughed Cabading. This should be on me! But Gene would not let him pay the bill. Early the next morning, Cabading called up the Sta. Mesa house to pay that his wife had fallen ill. Would Lydia please visit her? Leonardo and Lydia went to Zapote, found nothing the matter with her mother, and returned to Sta. Mesa. After lunch, Leonardo left for his classes. Then Cabading called up again. Lydias mother refused to eat and kept asking for her daughter. Would Lydia please drop in again at the house on Zapote? Gene and Nonilo Quitangon said they might as well accompany Lydia there and start moving out her things. When they arrived at the Zapote house, the Quitangon brothers were amused by what they saw. Mrs. Cabading, her eyes closed, lay on the parlor sofa, a large towel spread out beneath her. She has been lying there all day, said Cabading, tossing restlessly, asking for you, Lydia. Gene noted that the towel was neatly spread out and didnt look crumpled at all, and that Mrs. Cabading was obviously just pretending to be asleep. He smiled at the childishness of the stratagem, but Lydia was past being amused. She wont straight to her room, were they heard her pulling out drawers. While the Quitangons and Cabading were conversing, the supposedly sick mother slipped out of the sofa and went upstairs to Lydias room. Cabading told the Quitangons that he wanted Lydia and Leonardo to stay there; at the house in Zapote. I thought all that was settled last night, Gene groaned. I built this house for Lydia, persisted Cabading, and this house is hers. If she and her husband want to be alone, I and my wife will move out of here, turn this house over to them. Gene wearily explained that Lydia and Leonardo preferred the apartment they had already leased. Suddenly the men heard the clatter of a drawer falling upstairs. Gene surmised that it had fallen in a struggle between mother and daughter. Excuse me, said Cabading, rising. As he went upstairs, he said to the Quitangons, over his shoulder, â€Å"Dont misunderstand me. Im not going to coach Lydia. He went into Lydias room and closed the door behind him. After a long while, Lydia and her father came out of the room together and came down to the sala together. Lydia was clasping a large crucifix. There was no expression on her face when she told the Quitangon boys to go home. But I thought we were going to start moving your things out this afternoon,, said Gene. She glanced at the crucifix and said it was one of the first things she wanted taken to her new home. Just tell Narding to fetch me, she said. Back in Sta. Mesa, Gene and Nonilo had the painful task of telling Leonardo, when he phoned, that Lydia was back in the house on Zapote. Why did you leave her there? cried Leonardo. Hell beat her up! Im going to get her. Gene told him not you go alone, to pass by the Sta. Mesa house first and pick up Nonilo. Gene could not go along; he had to catch a bus for Subic, where he works. When Leonardo arrived, Gene told him: Dont force Lydia to go with you. If she doesnt want to, leave at once. Do not, for any reason, be persuaded to stay there too. When his brother had left for Zapote, Gene realized that he was not sure he was going to Subic. He left too worried. He knew he couldnt rest easy until he had seen Lydia and Leonardo settled in their new home. The minutes quickly ticked past as he debated with himself whether he should stay or catch that bus. Then, at about a quarter to seven, the phone rang. It was Nonilo, in anguish. Something terrible has happened in Lydias room! I heard four shots, he cried. Who are up there? Lydia and Narding and the Cabadings. Ill be right over. Gene sent a younger brother to inform the family lawyer and to alert the Makati police. Then he drove like mad to Zapote. It was almost dark when he got there. The house stood perfectly still, not a light on inside. He watched it from a distance but could see no movement, Then a taxi drove up and out jumped Nonilo. He had telephoned from a gasoline station. He related what had happened. He said that when he and Leonardo arrived at the Zapote house, Cabading motioned Leonardo upstairs: Lydia is in her room. Leonardo went up; Cabading gave Nonilo a cup of coffee and chatted amiably with him. Nonilo saw Mrs. Cabading go up to Lydias room with a glass of milk. A while later, they heard a woman scream, followed by sobbing. There seems to be trouble up there, said Cabading, and he went upstairs. Nonilo saw him enter Lydias room, leaving the door open. A few moments later, the door was closed. Then Nonilo heard three shots. He stood petrified, but when he heard a fourth shot he dashed out of the house, ran to a gasoline station and called up Gene. Nonilo pointed to the closed front gate; he was sure he had left it open when he ran out. The brothers suspected that Cabading was lurking somewhere in the darkness, with his gun. Before them loomed the dark house, now so sinister and evil in their eyes. The upper story that jutted forward, forming the houses chief facade, bore a curious sign: Dra. Lydia C. Cabading, Lady Physician. (Apparently, Lydia continued- or was made- to use her maiden name.) Above the sign was the garland of colored lights that have been put up for Christmas and had not yet been removed. It was an ice-cold night, the dark of the moon, but the two brothers shivered not from the wind blowing down the lonely murky street but from pure horror of the house that had so fatally thrust itself into their lives. But the wind remembered when the sighs it heard here were only the sighing of the ripe grain, when the cries it heard were only the crying of birds nesting in the reeds, for all these new suburbs in Makati used to be grassland, riceland, marshland, or pastoral solitudes where few cared to go, until the big city spilled hither, replacing the uprooted reeds with split-levels, pushing noisy little streets into the heart of the solitude, and collecting here from all over the country the uprooted souls that now moan or giggle where once the carabao wallowed and the frogs croaked day and night. In very new suburbs, one feels human sorrow to be a grass intrusion on the labors of nature. Even barely two years ago, the talahib still rose man-high on the plot of ground on Zapote Street where now stands the relic of an ambiguous love. As the Quitangon brothers shivered in the darkness, a police van arrived and unloaded quite a large contingent of policemen. The Quitangons warned them that Cabading had a submachinegun. The policemen crawled toward the front gate and almost jumped when a young girl came running across the yard, shaking with terror and shrieking gibberish. She was one of the maids. She and her companion and the foster son had fled from the house when they heard the shooting and had been hiding in the yard. It was they who had closed the front gate. A policeman volunteered to enter the house through the back door; Gene said he would try the front one. He peered in at a window and could detect no one in the sala. He slipped a hand inside, opened the front door and entered, just as the policeman came in from the kitchen. As they crept up the stairs they heard a moaning in Lydias room. They tried the door but it was blocked from inside. Push it, push it, wailed a womans voice. The policeman pushed the door hard and what was blocking it gave. He groped for the switch and turned light. As they entered, he and Gene shuddered at what they saw. The entire room was spattered with blood. On the floor, blocking the door, lay Mrs. Cabading. She had been shot in the chest and stomach but was still alive. The policeman tried to get a statement from her but all she could say was: My hand, my hand- it hurts! She was lying across the legs of her daughter, who lay on top of her husbands body. Lydia was still clutching an armful of clothes; Leonardo was holding a clothes hanger. He had been shot in the breast; she, in the heart. They had died instantly, together. Sprawled face up on his daughters bed, his mouth agape and his eyes bulging open as though still staring in horror and the bright blood splashed on his face lay Pablo Cabading. Oh, I cursed him! cries Eugenio Quitangon with passion. Oh, I cursed him as he lay there dead, God forgive me! Yes, I cursed that dead man there on that bed, for I had wanted to find him alive! From the position of the bodies and from Mrs. Cabadings statements later at the hospital, it appears that Cabading shot Lydia while she was shielding her husband, and Mrs. Cabading when she tried to shield Lydia. Then he turned the gun on himself, and its an indication of the mans uncommon strength and power that, after the first shot, through the right side of the head, which must have been mortal enough, he seems to have been able, as his hands dropped to his breast, to fire at himself a second time. The violent spasm of agony must have sent the gun a .45 caliber pistol- flying from his hand. It was found at the foot of the bed, near Mrs. Cabadings feet. The drama of the jealous father had ended at about half-past six in the evening, Tuesday last week. The next day, hurrying commuters slowed down and a whispering crowd gathered before 1074 Zapote Street, to watch the police and the reporters going through the pretty little house that Pablo Cabading built for his Lydia.

NETWORK EFFECTS AND COMPETITION: :: essays research papers

In many industries, the network of consumers using compatible products or services influences the benefits of consumption. Positive network effects arise when the consumer utility of using a product or service increases with the number of users of that product or service. The telephone system is a widely used example since it seems clear that the value of being part of the network rises as the network sizes increases. Consumption benefits can also arise in markets where a large customer network leads to increases in complementary products and services, which in turn, leads to increased consumer utility (e.g., see Farrell and Saloner 1985; Katz and Shapiro 1985;1986). Prominent examples of industries thought to exhibit network effects include automated bank teller machines, computer hardware and software, videocassette recorders, video games, and Internet web browsers. Not surprisingly, network externalities and the implications of having a large installed customer base are receiving increased attention by strategy researchers (e.g., Garud and Kumaraswamy 1993; Hill 1995; Wade 1995). As noted by Majumdar and Venkataraman (1998), the literature related to network effects broadly tackles three categories of research questions: (1) technology adoption decisions (e.g., what factors are related to whether and when a new technology is adopted), (2) technology compatibility decisions (e.g., what factors influence a firm’s decision to seek compatibility), and (3) decisions among competing incompatible technologies (e.g., what factors are related to consumers’ choices among rival incompatible products within a single product category). While theoretical research has addressed all three of these categories, empirical research has been limited to the first and second categories of questions (e.g., see the reviews in David and Greenstein 1990; Liebowitz and Margolis 1994; Economides 2001). Empirical efforts supporting the existence of network effects for a single product technology show that a larger network size is related to higher minicomputer sales (Hartman and Teece 1990), higher likelihood of adopting a new telecommunications technology (Majumdar and Venkataraman 1998), and quicker adoption of a new banking technology (Saloner and Sheppard 1995). In addition, Gandal (1994; 1995) and Brynjolfsson and Kemerer (1996) use a hedonic price model to show that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for software products that are compatible with the dominant product standard, i.e., the product with the larger customer network. However, with the exception of a few industry case studies (e.g., Gabel 1991; Grindley 1995; Liebowitz and Margolis 1999), we are unaware of any published studies that empirically investigate the nature of network effects in an industry with multiple competing product technologies that are incompatible.

Cognitive Consequences of Pediatric Sports-Related Concussions Essay

Results: The results of this research review provide the most current information in regards to pediatric concussion and neurological and cognitive consequences. These results support the working hypothesis that the cognitive consequences of pediatric sports-related concussions do not outweigh the benefits associated with childhood sports participation. In a cohort study (total n=200), investigators looked at return to cognitive baseline after concussion in younger versus older athletes. Participants were divided into two groups, a 13-16 year old group (n=100), and 18-22 year old group (n = 100). Each participant completed baseline and post concussion neurocognitive testing using the immediate Post-Concussion assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test battery. Results showed that athletes 13-16 years old take longer to return to neurocognitive and symptom baselines than athletes 18-22 years old (22). In a prospective design study, 18 children with mTBI and 18 matched healthy controls (8-16 years of age) were used to compare sensitivity to simple and complex visual stimuli and to determine the evolution of visuo-perceptual performance over time. At 1, 4 and 12 weeks sensitivity to static and dynamic forms of simple (first order), complex (second order), orientation and direction identification thresholds, and radial optic flow stimuli were assessed. The results of this study demonstrate that all complex stimuli were significantly affected for the mTBI children, including at the 12 week interval. There was also no difference between groups across all testing conditions for simple, first order information (2). An observational study from 2008 looked at high school athletes and recovery patterns after concussion. Out o... ...lity following traumatic brain injury in childhood: impact of injury severity and age at injury. Pediatr Neurosurg.2000;32 :282– 290. http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.umich.edu/docview/224152197?accountid=14667 29. McCrory, P, AM Collie, V Anderson, and G Davis. "Can We Manage Sport Related Concussion in Children the Same as in Adults?." British Journal of Sports Medicine. 38.5 (2004): 516-519. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2004.014811 30. McCrory P, Meeuwisse W, Aubry M, et al. Consensus statement on concussion in sport - the third international conference on concussion in sport held in Zurich, November 2012. Phys Sportsmed. 2013; 47:250–258 . doi:10.1136/bjsports-2013-092313 31. Purcell, Lisa. "What are the most appropriate return-to-play guidelines for concussed child athletes?" British Journal of Sports Medicine. 43.1 (2009): i51-i55. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2009.058214

Newton’s Second Law Lab

Newton’s 2nd Law Lab Introduction: The purpose of this lab was to prove Newton’s 2nd Law; which states accelerate equals force divided by mass (a=F/m). During this lab we were trying to find out the relationship between acceleration, force, and mass by using a air track, glider with picket fence, and photogates. Before I did the lab, I had already knew that acceleration, force, and mass were related. I just didn’t know how they were related. When recording the results of this lab we had to record the applied force in Newton’s.Newtons’s is a unit of measurement represented in m(meters) divided by s2(seconds squared). I think that F/m=a because in Newton’s second law, he tells us that force is equal to mass times acceleration (f=ma), so if you take the mass and divided by both sides to cancel it out on the right, you would end up with a=f/m. Procedure: First we weighed the glider and fence with the string attached, in kg(kilograms). Then we rec orded in the table. Next we weighed the mass of the hanging weight in kg and recorded it in the table.Then we found the total mass being accelerated in kg by adding the mass of the hanging glider to the mass of the hanging weight. Fourth we found the applied force by taking the mass of the hanging weight and multiplying it by 9. 8(gravity). Then we found the theoretical acceleration by using the formula a=F/m and plugged in the total mass for m and the applied force for F. By taking F and dividing it by m we can up with the theoretical acceleration. We then looked on the time graph and found the experimental acceleration by looking at the slope of the velocity time graph and recorded it on the table.Lastly we found the percent difference by taking experimental acceleration, subtracting it from the theoretical acceleration, and then dividing that answer by the theoretical acceleration. We then took that answer and multiplied it by 100 to give us a percent. We then reweighed the glide r each time and increased the mass of the hanging weight. Then we repeated steps three through seven, 15 more times so we had enough data. Results/Observations: Result are on the attacked sheet. Durning the lab, I observed that the more mass that was on the hanging weight the less accretion.Also the more mass, the faster the glider went. I also noticed the more weighted you taped onto the glider the faster the glider went. Analysis/Conclusion I think a=f/m because in Newton’s second law, he tells us that force is equal to mass times acceleration (f=ma), so if you take the mass and divided by both sides to cancel it out on the right, you would end up with a=f/m. After this lab, we proved that this theory is right because when you look at the theoretical and experimental acceleration data and you look at the percent difference, they vary from 2. 6% to 18%, which is really good.The numbers are not perfect because of errors in the lab. Some of the possible errors could be from, s oftware calculation and the way we rounded our numbers, the air track had a little bit of friction and the weight of our hanging weight could have hit the ground and fell off before the picket fence went threw the the photogate. In conclusion, our lab proved that acceleration does equal force divided mass because when we took the applied force and divided it by the total mass and come up with the theoretical acceleration, our data result came back with an average percent difference is 5. 04; which is less then 10%!

Paranormal Activity Essays

Paranormal Activity Essays Paranormal Activity Paper Paranormal Activity Paper Paranormal Activity: Analysis and Critique Rick Mitchell September 12, 2011 ENG 225: Introduction to Film Instructor: Alene Morrison Paranormal Activity was a movie that everyone wanted to see as soon as the previews hit the movie screen. The previews showed the viewer small pieces of the movie so they would be left wondering and want to go see the movie as soon as they could. Paranormal Activity was based on a true story about a young couple dealing with a paranormal entity. The young woman,Katie, was the one being haunted while her boyfriend, Micah, made home videos of all the mysterious things that were happening in the house. The different camera angles, cinematography, editing and the way the story unfolds in front of the audience are the things that make this movie so captive. Storytelling A film will have more success if it starts with a good story. (Goodykoontz, 2011) Paranormal Activity is a film that not only starts with a good story but keeps that story going through the entire movie. The story being told in a film is what draws the attention of the audience. It evokes emotion in the audience and makes them care about the story, watching to know how it ends, and it makes them care about the characters. In Paranormal Activity, the audience gets attached to the couple hoping that they rid their lives of this entity and â€Å"live happily ever after†. In the end the boyfriend, Micah, dies and the girlfriend vanishes without a trace. It leaves everyone wondering what happened to her and at the same time they are saddened by the death of Micah. But as the nights pass, the events In the house become much more harrowing, and the deliberately paced Paranormal Activity takes us along for a grueling experience with every breath. Mica Is first amused by the proceedings and gradually comes to the realization that this benevolent force will be the death of the two and no one can help them. Every day theres a wash of relief over the couple, and even If the audience feels safer, they will dread the night. Every Introduction of nighttime footage In the master bed room brings with It a sense of sheer terror of what will unfold ever so slowly. Theres nary an explanation of whom or what Is terrorizing this couple, and theres barely any hint to what Is bringing terror to this household. Claw prints appear along the floors, recollections of a childhood fire Katie experienced Is constantly alluded to, and the night welcomes a force of evil that makes every passing moment an experience that will leave you covering your eyes. We never get full glimpse of the force wreaking havoc on the couple, thus we leave the film feeling a sense of Incompletion and discomfort as It ends on a twisted and rather disappointing note, but suffice It to say, If you think horror movies cant scare you, If you think modern horror has nothing more to offer, try slating through Paranormal Activity and then thank the filmmakers for changing your mind. Paranormal Activity has become a slightly controversial independent film by wonderfully with incredible performances from its duo and utterly incredible special torture, and pain feels genuine. Mica and Katie have moved in together, and Katie is ere has apparently followed her everywhere, including to this new house, and the apparition that resides with them seems to have a fond interest in Katie. Her {text:soft-page-break} vain and selfish boyfriend Mica is a man who seeks to Skates pleas to respect the paranormal presence and refrain from taunting it. But as the nights pass, the events in the house become much more harrowing, and the every breath. Mica is first amused by the proceedings and gradually comes to the help them. Every day theres a wash of relief over the couple, and even if the audience feels safer, they will dread the night. Every introduction of nighttime footage in the master bed room brings with it a sense of sheer terror of what will unfold ever so slowly. Theres nary an explanation of whom or what is terrorizing this couple, and theres barely any hint to what is bringing terror to this household. Claw prints appear along the floors, recollections of a childhood fire Katie experienced is feeling a sense of incompletion and discomfort as it ends on a twisted and rather disappointing note, but suffice it to say, if you think horror movies cant scare you, if you think modern horror has nothing more to offer, try sitting through Paranormal

Regression to Childhood in Greasy Lake

Regression to Childhood in Greasy Lake "(I was nineteen, a mere child, an infant, and here in the space of five minutes I'd struck down one greasy character and blundered into the waterlogged carcass of another.)" (7)After mistakenly interrupting the romantic interlude of a greasy man and his girlfriend at Greasy Lake, the evening becomes a succession of negative events for the three boys. Following a fight with the greaser, the boys then turn their attention to his screaming girlfriend, as her man lies unconscious on the ground. The narrator and his two friends are suddenly interrupted during their assault of the greaser's girlfriend by two fraternity boys and must flee the scene of their various crimes. The narrator runs in a blind panic through the woods and unconsciously wades into Greasy Lake. As he thrashes wildly through the murky water, his progress impeded by the feculent growth, the narrator flounders into a corpse.Greasy Lake & Other StoriesShocked, a moment passes before the narrator realizes what he has encou ntered. Upon doing so, he becomes more panicked: "Understood, and stumbled back in horror and revulsion..."(7) It is at this point that the narrator abandons all pretence of being a 'bad' character by displaying his true emotions and reactions, of fear and disgust, towards the events that have transpired, and the environment in which he finds himself. Throughout the evening at Greasy Lake, the narrator discards his defiant, adolescent persona and regresses significantly in confidence and maturity due to the traumatic events endured, until he consequently reverts to a temporary infantile mentality, until finally regaining some composure in order to escape Greasy Lake."Greasy Lake" begins with the narrator describing the qualities which were prevalent among boys during his adolescence. "There was a time when courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be...

The Spanish Armada essays

The Spanish Armada essays The Spanish Armada was a fleet of armed ships that attempted to invade England in the year of 1588. "This Spanish Fleet had at one time been called the Invincible Armada, supposedly because the Spaniards thought it could not be defeated" (World book Multimedia Encyclopedia). The Spanish Fleet consisted of over 130 ships and more than 29,000 men, most were soldiers. Many of the ships were low in weapons and experienced soldiers that could work these weapons, others were low in ammunition. King Phillip named the Duke of Medina Sidonia to command the Armada. During the 1500's the Spanish were thought to have had a dominating Navy until in 1588, when they were defeated by the English. The English received word of the Spanish's activities and armed many of its merchant vessels and added them to its warships. England's fleet was made up of about 197 ships and nearly 16,000 men, these men were mostly sailors rather than soldiers. Admiral Lord Howard of Effingham commanded the fleet and his squadron leaders were Francis Drake, John Hawkins and Martin Frobisher. Francis Drake and John Hawkins were ordered many times to raid Spanish villages and ships to acquire more riches. The Spanish Armada left Lisbon, Portugal on May 30, 1588 and arrived at the English Channel on July 20. The ships were constantly battling for seven days straight. There were long-range duels and soldiers were sent to burn the enemy ships and destroy their weapons. On July 27, the Armada anchored at Calais, France. "The Duke of Medina Sidonia had planned to meet barges carrying Spanish Troops from nearby Dunkerque, a port in the Netherlands" (World book Multimedia Encyclopedia). Unfortunately, Dutch gunboats prevented the barges from meeting the Armada. "This act doomed the fleet to failure" (World book Multimedia Encyclopedia). Early in the hours of July 29, the English sent eight vessels that were packed with gunpowder ...

Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance Assignment

Law, Ethics, and Corporate Governance - Assignment Example aler to make good on any offer made through an advertisement exclusively based on the fact that the customer had to travel a distance in the heat to get to the destination of sale. However, on an ethical standpoint, it would seem inappropriate to disengage a customer, especially one who has made such extensive efforts to avail the offer. When Tony quoted the price of â€Å"$3,000 firm†, he indeed made an offer to the customer that he was willing to purchase the truck for the said amount. By adding the word â€Å"firm† to the sentence, he further validated this price. In financial markets, the word â€Å"firm† is used to indicate that a price is readily available and can be taken up on. Thus it is safe to assume that Tony made a valid offer to the customer. However, the issue arises as to whether a contract is in effect. In legal terms, a contractual obligation can arise on a verbal commitment, but there is no way to substantiate the claim in case either party backs down. Thus it is safe to say that a contractual agreement has not taken place between the dealer and the customer. Therefore it is not a binding offer on the part of the dealer. However, sales’ ethics implies that if a verbal offer is communicated to a customer, it should be honored. The whole premise of marketing and sales revolves around ethical communication, and on those grounds, the dealer should stick to his word. Again, its not compulsory in the eyes of law, but business ethics dictate that the deal should be honored. Employees of the advertiser cannot take advantage of any special promotion offers that are taking place. This clause also extends to the immediate family of the employee. Mr Daniel Myers states that â€Å"Companies often disqualify their employees from special offers and specials in order to avoid the appearance of inside dealing or impropriety.† The reason behind this is that employees may have access to information which may pertain to that particular promotion. Using this

Analyzing Your Own Work Setting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing Your Own Work Setting - Coursework Example In spite of the specific method applied to set standards, the fundamental process involves the establishment of a standard-setting team (Grohar-Murray, & DiCroce, 2003). In addition, supporting this team to work together to create a vision of an austerely proficient person and motivating the members of the team to agree on personal responsibility of undertaking assessment. On equal measure, the role of managing standard setting activities and making closure of such matters within a defined period is fundamental and should be taken into consideration with intense caution (Melissa, 2012). Culture and setting of work place In a school set up, the teachers, students and non-teaching staff make up of the fundamental components of the milieu. The culture in this place of work is different from other similar settings. The criterion of standard setting has filed to work on numerous attempts to initiation. Setting of standards is a fundamental component that is required to be adhered in any w orking setting to ensure improved performance levels (Grohar-Murray, & DiCroce, 2003). Inexistence of the standard setting characterizes the culture of this working setting. Political effects of standard setting Standard setting targets teachers’ performance. ... The political dynamism forms a barrier for full implementation of standard setting. This influences the performance levels of education. Emotional effects of standard setting Standard setting on the performance of teachers is a tool for checking the output in terms of human resource. It is a tricky and dynamic setting because it involves only professionals who may be emotionally charged if they feel their rights and privileges are infringed in any manner (Grohar-Murray, & DiCroce, 2003). Disseminating setting of standards up to optimal without rising persons’ feelings is impractical in a school set up, because there anticipated political resistance and dynamism charges the feelings that results to derailment of the full implementation of the instrument of standard setting. Educational effects of standard settings The fundamental intention of standard setting is to produce a hypothetical minimally competent person. The teachers can think that, the development of exams for stude nts is one way of meeting the standards. This is not the case. The teachers should ensure that, the students improve in fact absorption and ability to interpret. Meeting the set educational standards is a challenging issue for most teachers (Melissa, 2012). Hence, the standard setting tunes the teachers to up their teaching skills to ensure that, the students’ needs are met in an appropriate manner. Standard setting makes the teachers to stretch up their potential and maximize time utilization in a bid to offer standardized learning services. In addition, standard setting facilitates the general performance of students. The performance can be measured on the ability to absorb facts and passing of exams. Notably, the teachers are motivated to perform well because their services

The writer can write any suitable topic relating to what he's Essay

Client Relationship Management - Essay Example It will encompass the details of the topic of discussion on how it has been leveraged by the companies to gain the competitive advantage over the others. It will also contain important industrial examples to justify the statements. The client relationship management (CRM) of an organization involves the interaction of company with its customers and other external business partners. The interactions with the clients are mostly conducted in such a manner that it leads to a long-term working relationship with them. CRM has come to the vanguard of organizational practices only since the last ten years (Ed, 2008). The terminology of CRM may be relatively new, but the underlying concept is being used for a relatively long period of time. The business houses have tried out different forms of customer retention techniques to ensure a steady cash flow and gain a strong position in the industry. However, the CRM that is commonly used today is quite different from that of the past practices. Previously, the employees used to keep track of the loyal customers by memorizing their identities and keeping track of their preferences. This process may be effective in maintaining a good relationship with the customers, leading to customers’ retention by increasing the likelihood of the customers’ return. Over time the business market scenario has changed. This is mostly because of the increased competition from newly developed firms and changing demand of customers. Customer or Client Relationship Management becomes quite difficult when the business of the company starts to grow with the increased customer base and increased product portfolio (Buttle, 2008). It then becomes almost impossible for the employees to memorize the identity and preferences of all the customers. Modern client relationship management is mostly technology driven. There are several CRM softwares available for the firms which can be utilized to track the consumers’ behavior and their purchase pattern (Fjermestad, 2006).

Culture CompetenceMOdel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture CompetenceMOdel - Essay Example Once this awareness is there, a nurse can develop skills which let him/her understand how the patient views the treatment being given and how they can be made to participate in the process of regaining their health. For example, with culturally aware skills, a nurse may be able to give an addict the right kind of motivation which lets the addict recover quickly. Additionally, as these skills are developed by nurses, the nurse gains knowledge about cultures and cultural aspects which are relevant to the profession of nursing which even include the understanding of why some people may associate illness with supernatural causes (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). Thus knowledge becomes the binding factor of cultural competence since the more knowledge a nurse has about culture and how culture affects the patient; the more able the nurse will be in handling cultural issues. Without this knowledge, a nurse would show incompetence when dealing with different cultures and this incompetence can be conscious or unconsciously produced (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). On the other hand, with the right knowledge about cultural competence, a nurse would show conscious competence about culture. This competence or incompetence would become evident in cultural encounters which put the nurse in contact with people from different backgrounds. These encounters can be difficult to deal with and may even cause discomfort for some nurses. However, those who are aware of cultural differences and those who have developed the skills to deal with different cultures may find them to be positive learning experiences rather than difficult to deal with situations (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). In fact, such nurses may even thrive on cultural encounters since they can be seen as opportunities to improve skills. All these factors are enclosed within the desire of the nurse to become better at dealing with people from different cultures and without this desire, no amount of skill or

Lifting the Corporate Veil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lifting the Corporate Veil - Essay Example The extremely famous and somewhat revolutionary decision of Salomon v Salmon & Co Ltd [1897]1 introduced and upheld the corporate personality doctrine which was then defined in the Companies Act 1862. The effect of the decision was that creditors of a company that had gone insolvent would not be able to sue the shareholders of the company for its outstanding debts: the doctrine of separate corporate personality was effectively entrenched by the House of Lords. More noticeably, the House of Lords fully established the concept that the company exists as a separate personality from that of its members, causing the company to become its own entity, thus competent to sue and be sued,4 to enter into contractual agreements,5 to make profits and suffer losses in its own name,6 and to own property. The decision of Salomon also formed the beneficial concept that shareholders would be afforded limited liability in the event of insolvency of the company. Despite the passing of more than a centur y, the dicta of the House of Lords has stood strong as an â€Å"unyielding rock†,7 even enjoying codification in section 16(2) of the Companies Act 2006. The decision brought several new effects to the company law world. Lord Herschell claimed that â€Å"the company is ex hypothesi a distinct legal person†2 and Lord McNaghten stressed that â€Å"the company is at law a different person altogether from the subscribers to the memorandum†¦nor are the members as subscribers liable†¦except to the extent and in the manner provided by the Act’.3 ... When will the courts disregard Salomon and lift the corporate veil? Can a specific set of criteria be established in order to determine when the veil will be lifted, or does it depend on the particular circumstances of each case? It is arguable that the courts’ previous instances of lifting the corporate veil have been difficult to predict with any degree of certainty. It will be argued however that this is not necessarily disadvantageous and any alternative approach of the courts could prove more detrimental to company law as a whole. Attempts to establish specific criteria for lifting the veil have been fruitless, as the courts have remained adamant to keep derogations from Salomon flexible. This paper will evaluate when the courts have lifted the corporate veil, and under what circumstances they chose to as opposed to when the courts have specifically refused to lift the corporate veil. Potential for reforms in the law will be explored, though it will ultimately be argued t hat codification of the lifting of the veil will greatly reduce, even remove the flexibility enjoyed by the courts when lifting the veil. It will be argued that this flexibility is essential in order to make the principle apply as and when the courts see fit. Have the courts approached the lifting of the veil appropriately, or is the veil’s fate left arbitrarily in the hands of the court? Is more certainty required? When Is The Corporate Veil Lifted? It is clear to see that the debate surrounding the courts’ lifting of the corporate veil has centred around the need to balance between certainty and flexibility. The courts have been presented with extremely varied situations and circumstances under which they were required to decide whether the veil

Culture CompetenceMOdel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Culture CompetenceMOdel - Essay Example Once this awareness is there, a nurse can develop skills which let him/her understand how the patient views the treatment being given and how they can be made to participate in the process of regaining their health. For example, with culturally aware skills, a nurse may be able to give an addict the right kind of motivation which lets the addict recover quickly. Additionally, as these skills are developed by nurses, the nurse gains knowledge about cultures and cultural aspects which are relevant to the profession of nursing which even include the understanding of why some people may associate illness with supernatural causes (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). Thus knowledge becomes the binding factor of cultural competence since the more knowledge a nurse has about culture and how culture affects the patient; the more able the nurse will be in handling cultural issues. Without this knowledge, a nurse would show incompetence when dealing with different cultures and this incompetence can be conscious or unconsciously produced (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). On the other hand, with the right knowledge about cultural competence, a nurse would show conscious competence about culture. This competence or incompetence would become evident in cultural encounters which put the nurse in contact with people from different backgrounds. These encounters can be difficult to deal with and may even cause discomfort for some nurses. However, those who are aware of cultural differences and those who have developed the skills to deal with different cultures may find them to be positive learning experiences rather than difficult to deal with situations (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). In fact, such nurses may even thrive on cultural encounters since they can be seen as opportunities to improve skills. All these factors are enclosed within the desire of the nurse to become better at dealing with people from different cultures and without this desire, no amount of skill or

Arab Spring - The Utility of the Foucauldian Notion of Resistance as Essay

Arab Spring - The Utility of the Foucauldian Notion of Resistance as Opposed to The Critical - Essay Example Tunisia’s government was replaced because of protestors who were rural, and joined with labor, and that the Tunisian government was eventually replaced with a government which was amenable to labor. In Egypt, the cosmopolitan and educated young people organized the uprisings, and they soon were backed by the Islamic Brotherhood. However, these young people did not topple the government so much as the military did, and now there is a clash between the democratically backed Brotherhood and the military, and there is not yet a new power structure in place. In Libya, the country devolved into a civil war, as the power structure was voided and no new centralized power structure took its place, therefore, the nation is ran by tribes, and has been marked by multiple secessions, and kin networks are providing the goods and services, along with the safety and security (Anderson, 2011, p. 6). The question is whether the critical theory of international relations and emancipation mark th ese conflicts or do they more closely resemble the Foucauldian view of resistance? The short answer is that Egypt and Tunisia resemble resistance theory and Libya resembles emancipation theory. This paper will explain the two theories and show why each country more resembles one theory as opposed to the other. Emancipation Theory According to Dougherty (2001, p. 470), emancipation theory is based upon revolutionism, which, in turn, is one of the principal traditions of international-relations theory. Specifically, Dougherty (2001) states that revolutionism places human emancipation as being paramount, as it helps to reach â€Å"the fullest human potential† (Dougherty, 2001, p. 477). Devetak (1996, p. 155) states that critical international theory works to bring about radical change by removing constraints on freedom. To this end, Devetak (1996, p. 155) asserts that critical international theory underpins the theory of emancipation, in that it has as its focus the understanding of conditions which would make emancipation possible. Linklater (1990, p. 89) states that the other two traditions of international theory – realism and rationalism - are both based upon order and power. In contrast, emancipation theory is based upon individualism. Furthermore, emancipation, or revolutionism, forms the bas is for critical theories of international relations whereas the other two traditions of realism and rationalism form the basis for traditional theories of international relations (Linklater, 1990, p. 90). Habermas, according to Goode (2005), promoted emancipation by stating that freedom is embodied in the public square of the bourgeois, while overlooking â€Å"antagonistic class relations† (Goode, 2005, p. 34). Neufeld (1995, p. 66) states that critical theory and emancipation have, at their roots, the theories of Kant, Hegel and Marx, although he credits Marx with bringing the theory into its maturation. Perhaps because Marx though that reason would somehow trump power structures and oppression, critics refer to emancipation theory as â€Å"Utopian,† although Wyn-Jones (2001, p. 58) states that while the principles underlying emancipation theory are utopian, the value of emancipation theory relies on this optimism. Devetak (1996, p. 157) further goes on to state that emancipation is based upon three concepts – autonomy, security and community. Autonomy means, according to Devetak (1996, p. 163) that individuals are free to live their lives without constraints which are unnecessary and are inhibiting to freedom. Security means the absence of threats, because autonomy cannot exist in the face of threats – threats curtail freedom, because if individuals are not safe, then they cannot pursue freedom. Among the threats

Leaders in the Local Church Essay Example for Free

Leaders in the Local Church Essay Lay leaders can simply be defined as persons chosen from the congregation by ordained leaders to serve as helpers performing such duties as may be delegated or assigned to them in accordance to their church ordinances. More and more ministers are finding themselves weighed down by the demands of the ministry. They are thus unable to be effective in meeting the changing needs of their flock. This has created a need to have different other people taking off some of the less sensitive responsibilities from the ordained clergies’ hands. The concept of lay leadership is however not just a modern day phenomenon; it is deeply rooted in the Bible. Deuteronomy 1:9-13 gives an account in which Moses appoints leaders to take off from him some of the responsibilities that were threatening to overwhelm him. Similarly in the book of 1 kings 19:19, Elijah acquires an attendant in the person of Elisha to serve as a helper in his duties as a prophet. The Apostle Paul also surrounded himself with spiritual people like Timothy and Titus to mention a few to whom he delegated different duties in his mission to preach the good news to the gentiles. The clearest illustration of the significance of lay leadership is however to be found in the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles Chapter 6 form verse 1 onwards. In this account, the Apostles as well as the entire group found it wise to appoint seven Godly men to take over responsibilities that were important but did not warrant the attention of the Apostles. In this paper, different lessons will be gleaned from the above scriptures and many others to help in the understanding of the issue at hand. Church leaders are different from either organizational or political leaders and only leaders who seek Gods grace and lead by the grace of the Almighty will be able to maintain the Satan inflicted jolts that characterize today’s ministry of the word of God. 1 The church is undergoing enormous statistical growth but the same is not being experienced in discipleship. Leadership of the church requires individuals who are able to rise above their individual capacities and seek Gods guidance. Shallow leadership is the reason why the church today is struggling to meet the seemingly insurmountable challenges. 2 The church needs godly leaders who are able to fully submit to Jesus Christ and be in complete communion with the Creator. Leaders, who can be disciple makers, honor God and be able to fulfill His Will. There are times when Gods reassuring gift in leadership is obviated making the leadership journey long, arduous, bumpy and jerky akin to rides across rocky mountains. At times the leadership might seem long, dry and desolate often punctuated with seasons when we feel that our leadership is devoid of Gods assistance. It is these experiences that call for insistence on Gods reassuring grace and guidance. Developing leadership in the church is no mean treat as it not only requires leaders to develop a strong rapport with the creator for their own souls but also for the souls of the followers of Christ. God’s spirit reassures, inspires, instructs and guides leaders in the Church as they take that long arduous journey to sainthood and spiritual maturity as our creator commanded. However, it is not easy to develop leaders in the church without succinctly analyzing the philosophy of spiritual leadership. Through, spiritual instruction, God used criticism of leadership or trials to stimulate spiritual revival or to inspire fresh visionary leadership for the future ministry of the word of God. The Biblical desert trek under the leadership of Moses was such an instance when God used the desolate desert to create new frontiers in leadership. By working through the hands of servant leaders, a new vision is created to circumvent, surmount or wade through the challenges required in developing a spiritual oversight and even in building new teams in the church. 1 ii. Importance of Leadership Development Strategies for Training Leaders in the Local Church. Training leaders in the church is an ongoing process that cannot be done haphazardly. It requires a leadership development strategy that helps in identifying, recruiting and training potential lay leaders in any church. The health, the growth and the success of any church or its local branches is solely dependent on the availability of effective and efficient church leadership program that not only inspires the congregation to spiritual; maturity but also discovers and builds the innate potentials of leadership and service in others. Consistency in training of lay leaders may well determine the level of growth and spiritual well being of entire churches. Humanistic philosophies permeate from our culture and these in turn affect the strategies we use in developing leadership in churches. These humanistic philosophies spread a desire that we should be whoever we want to be. Contrarily, God disdains such attempts and instead calls upon humanity to be as his only begotten Son Christ was. This means that good leadership is not a result of a personal ambition but a Godly desire that can only be achieved when leaders are trained to act as our Creator instructed us to act. That is why good leaders can only be shepherds but not saviors; they can only be leaders but not lords and guides to the congregation but not gods of the people of God. 1 In the book of Acts of the Apostles chapter 6, the process of choosing the seven men was done prayerfully and the chosen men were dependable men filled with the spirit. It is important therefore that the process follow the biblical example. Otherwise, when leadership strategies in the church deviate from the Gods commands and instructions on good leadership and instead focus on improving on human efforts alone, spiritual leaders achieve positions of worldly power but not the grace of God. Strategies for leadership should only train leaders to carry out their spiritual obligations as a reflection of what Christ wanted. It is testament today guidelines for church leadership are being drawn from secular platforms without a succinct review of the Christian authoritative text for standard protocols for servant leadership. Because of this reason church leaders are being removed from a worldly instituted office and recycled in various capacities that are only temporary in nature while ideally spiritual leaders are lifetime learners who are obligated by the scriptures to offer lifetime guidance to the flock. It is only by the grace of the Lord that leaders can be able to learn and consequently act as leaders with a spiritual disposition that is created only by the Holy Spirit. In this stride, spiritual leaders should be confident in God but not exhibit self confidence, they should not only know men but also know God. In making decisions they should seek Gods will and not solely rely on their own human capability in making decisions. In Spiritual leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, spiritual leaders should be able to humble in leadership and not be overly ambitious, they should never seek personal rewards but they should love God and other with all their powers. One who enjoys command, treasures independent leadership and creates his own methods of leadership can only be said to be driven by fleshly ambitions. On the other hand, Godly leaders delight in their obedience to God and follow His instructions while shunning the lusts of the flesh. They do not treasure independence in leadership but tend to depend in God and follow His examples.

Information Systems for Management

Information Systems for Management ICT- OUTCOME 1 Strategic management is the management at the up such as managing directors like John and Ian McIver from Ice queen who are responsible for making the unstructured decisions like goals and objective that the company strives to reach.  Ã‚   To make long term decisions based on their own judgement of the situation such as making future projection on how the company will perform.   This well be done by looking at how profitable the business has been by looking at accounts for last year to see what the profits so they can make decisions on how to move forward with the business.   Sales figures from other areas can also determine how well a product is selling and what products are popular on the market. Tactical management is a semi-structured level of management known as middle level management like Sharon Tang and Veronika they will monitor and analyse the existing systems used in the cold stores, shop and offices for 15 weeks then a presentation will be given on how effective these systems and four meetings for preparation will be taken prior to the project beginning and notes will be taken by Chelsea to record every key point at the meetings. Operational management is the structured level of management known as low level management Whitney and peter who will be by helping to analyse the system by gathering information from the staff by performing interviews and surveys at each of the four regional sites ready for Sharon to analysis. Three different types of information systems include the use of human information systems within Ice queen used by strategic management, tactical and operational levels because the need for decisions made at all these levels are important because machinery will never replace human decision making as the use of instincts and the use of the human eyes is sometimes the one of the way to observe and make the right decisions through all the levels of management within Ice Queen. Paper based system is another means of collating information on all three levels of management within Ice Queen because the use of paper information in an organisation is traceable when it comes to doing audits on the company at the end of the financial year. Strategic management may use this paper systems to illustrate policies and procedures within Ice Queen which would be the responsibility of John and Ian McIver to have these policies on paper so that they can be placed somewhere for all the employees so they can refer to them and adhere to them in the workplace.   Strategic management may also user paper information systems to draw up plans for the business or to evaluate aims and objectives as computer systems can sometimes fail and Ice Queen may need back up documents. Tactical management like Sharon Tang and Veronika might use paper systems to record comprehensive minutes for meetings that Chelsea is responsible for so they know what has been discussed at each of the meetings and to keep hard copies of the analysis being carried out on Ice Queen for them to be able to report to other staff at meetings. Operational management like Whitney and Peter so they can record how well the cold storage facilities are performing in each of the different depots within Ice Queen and the need for copies of how the machinery is designed and operated so they can evaluate how well their cold storage facility is operating. Computerised systems would be needed at all levels as well because at strategic levels plans that have been made within Ice Queen would have to be researched by checking where their competitions are in the market by being able to view figures from sites like company house so they can make plans to reach goals and objectives set by Ice Queen. Tactical Management such as Sharon Tang and Veronika in Ice Queen as they would have to use the project management software to plan the project step by step and making sure that all the timings and allocations of task to be performed are allocated to the right staff at the right time and to make sure that all the right holidays and time off are allocated but the project is still running to schedule. Operational Management such as Whitney and Peter as they need to use this system to analyse productivity within the work force and the machinery within the cold storage in Ice Queen by using the software that is available to them to complete their analysis. In the decision making there is information that govern management one of these is the Data Protection Act 1998 this pieces of legislation is paramount for Ice Queen as customers, supplier and staff as this data must be kept secure and is not just available to anybody as information could be miss used in an unlawful way such as people trying to defraud other companies or customer by using bank details or credit card details.   This data always must be accurate and up to date and measures must be taken to protect this data.   If this data is not protected and there is a breach, then the company can be fined up to 500,000 pounds. Health and safety legislation 2002 is also important in running a business as it could directly affect the employees health and safety as they should have a safe clean environment to work in which is free of potential hazards and dangers within the workplace.   By law there should always be first aiders on sight who are fully trained and certificated to deal with any medical assistance needed within the workplace. Customers are also at risk if these piece of legislation is not followed this could affect their health as cleanliness is a big issue in the workplace because if a company is not following hygiene rules which affect customers if machinery is not cleaned correctly or if machinery is not functioning properly could cause health issue for the customer, which would need to be rectified by calling in environmental health officers which could affect the company and could result in the company been fined or worst case scenario being closed down. Outcome 2 WAN (wide area network) is distributed geographically for a private communication network this connects lots of different LAN (local area network). Wan can be connected to company headquarters or branch offices and a router is used to connect LAN and WAN. WAN shares access to application s services and other centrally located resources.   This means that the same application server and firewall does not have to be installed in lots of locations by use of VPN (virtual private network) which connects between WAN sites. LAN (local area network) is used when a group of computers and devices can share communications by a wireless link to a server LAN is computers and devices connected to a server in different areas such as an office or a commercial establishment.   Mobile phones also use LAN as it shares resources. LAN can be used a small number of users if used in a small office but can be used in a larger area if used in a larger office. The Internet is used to research information usually used direct from a router or modem devices this is used to check everything possible such as train times to news stories.   Internet is also used for transporting information by using the cloud, emails and using systems like skype to talk to people all over the world. The benefits for the use of WAN in Ice Queen is that they can sent the same information through memos to staff at the click of a button about anything concerning the company that employees might need to know which will save time for the company.   Another benefit of this is all the computer systems are linked so any information that Ice Queen may require during the up and coming project can be accessed through computer systems in different geographical areas which saves time and money for the company so the project runs to plan. The benefits of LAN for Ice Queen are information that Sharon may require can be accessed by using any other equipment available to her such as a company laptop that may have access to this information.   Another benefit is the use of a wireless devices such as a printer as this is wireless as is easy to connect to if needed to record minutes for meeting on paper copy. The benefits of the internet are Ice queen can contact anybody in a geographical location using email or even easier using skype or even the use of the cloud if they wanted to share certain documents with different employees within the business.   Which keeps these documents safe and secure?

tragoed Elements of Tragedy in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Elements of Tragedy in Oedipus Rex It is not the tragic subject matter of the text that is of primary interest - but rather the manner in which the plot is developed. The story line progresses as if the reader is "unpeeling an onion." The tale of King Oedipus is well known. An enraged Oedipus unknowingly slays his father (Laiusq, King of Thebes) and supplants him as monarch and as husband to his own mother (Queen Jocasta). As each successive "layer of the onion" is unpeeled, Oedipus is brought a step closer to realizing the true nature of his actions. Foretold in prophecy and initiated by his anger, the downfall of Oedipus comes to fruition as all facts gradually come to light. This "enlightening" starts with the revelations of a blind prophet named Tiresias. Though sightless, Tiresias can "see" the truth. He argues with Oedipus "...you have your sight, and do not see... . Yea, you are ignorant... ."(Sophocles, 15). Understandably, Oedipus is enraged at the prophet's accusations and fatally insists on investigating the murder of King Laius. In Aristotle's Poetics, it is stated that a tragedy must be complete - having a beginning, middle and end. Of equal importance "...the sequence of events, according to the law of probability or necessity, will admit of a change from bad fortune to good or from good fortune to bad."(Aristotle, 15). The impetus for the downfall of Oedipus, "Known far and wide by name" (Sophocles, 1), is his anger. Enraged he slew King Laius and in anger he hastily pursued his own ruination. From the aforementioned recriminations of Tiresias to the conflict with his brother-in-law Creon (his ill temper again displayed - "Tempers such as yours most grievous to their own selves to bear,... .(Sophocles, 25); through the revealing exchanges with his wife/mother Jocasta and her slave (whose pity saved the infant Oedipus), damming insight grows in a logical sequence, all the while fueled by the Oedipal rage. Realizing the heinous nature of his actions, Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of anger and remorse - now, as Tiresias, he can see. In an age where popular entertainment is apparently guided by the maxim "more is better" (see the body count in any popular "action thriller") and "special effects" dominate,

Interstate 15 and California 60 Freeway Interchange Essay -- transporta

We take them for granted when driving miles to the closest mall. We are unconscious of their usefulness when traveling to see a distant relative by car. We can't take a moment to stop and admire their beauty and usefulness; the architectural wonders that are highways and their interchanges; which have such a rich history embedded in the American suburbia of today. Let's go back to the early 1900's, when the automobile was starting to become a dominate part of the American life (Morton, 2014). Around this time; a shift began to occur towards private transportation over public by influencing policies in their favor (Nicolaides and Wiese, 2006). One of these polices was created by the Federal Aid Highway of 1925; the United States Highway System which basically expanded the highways across the United States connecting one another, creating new opportunities for growth in many areas (Weingroff, 1996). This had many effects on different factors of the American way of life; specifically s uburbia (Morton, 2014). After the war, the private home that was a luxury a few years prior, was now becoming affordable for many thanks to low interest rates and flexible payments through the National Housing Act of 1934, created by the Federal Housing Administration (Fishman, 1987). Perfect example of a policy acting towards private over public was the Los Angles Master Plan of 1941, which pushed the direction of private automobiles and singles households: there being 1.16 million cars (2.4 people per car) and having 31 percent of the city land dedicated for single family homes, this was really solidifying the post suburbia lifestyle (Fishman, 1987). In Los Angeles alone around this time, 900 square miles were transformed to tract development homes ... ... have key roles in their contribution to the development of the highway we know today. Works Cited "California Roads and Highways." California @ AARoads. AARoads, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. "Field Guide to Interchanges." Kurumi. Kurumi, n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Fishman, Robert. Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise and Fall of Suburbia. New York: Basic, 1987. Print. Morton, Patricia. "." Introduction to Architecture and Urbanism: Suburbia. University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA. 06 February, 2014. Lecture. Nicolaides, Becky M., and Andrew Wiese. "Postwar Suburbs and the Construction of Race." The Suburb Reader. New York: Routledge, 2006. 321-48. Print. Weingroff, Richard F. "Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956: Creating the Interstate System." Public Roads. US Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration, Summer 1996. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Marketing strategy of amazon

Marketing strategy is necessary in every business. No matter how rich a certain business is, its resources are always restricted. Thus marketing strategy provides a certain business to allocate his resources properly in order for his business to be more productive. Marketing mix is also essential in the marketing field, and it is basically the reason why the marketing mix (4 P’s) is tackled under marketing strategy. The four essential P’s are the product, the price, the place, and the promotion. Without considering these four essential P’s ones business is doomed to fail. A marketing manager needs to have enough knowledge in order to better determine how to properly organize this marketing mix. This paper aims to focus on whether the Amazon.com is doing a great marketing strategy. It is a well-known fact that many businesses aims on promoting their products in order to receive better responses from their customers. The necessity of promoting their products are included in the marketing mix and thus a business that knows how to promote his product well would succeed most likely than those who do not have any knowledge in product promotions. Going back to the strategy of amazon.com many wonders why they promote their new products side by side with used and old products. There are people who question the rationality behind this because people think that most consumers would tend to buy things which are cheaper compared to the newer and more expensive items particularly books. Thus, this paper aim to analyze what was the reason behind this particular strategy of amazon.com, whether their strategy is effective or not and the like. Amazon.com is one of the most famous e-commerce companies. Amazon.com sells their products via internet thus making it more convenient for people who do not have enough time to do their shopping outside their homes. Jeff Bezos started amazon.com in 1994 and up to now amazon.com is still continuing with their business. Amazon.com started by selling books online but as of today they are no longer limited on selling books via the internet. Amazon.com’s products ranges from cd’s, dvd’s, books, clothes, cars, etc. The Amazon.com is a little off the track with their marketing strategy. For one, they are willing to ship products ranging from $25 or more for free. Such shipments could be very costly even from an established business as Amazon. However, in spite of the losses of Amazon.com they are still well-liked by their customers due to their good services and customer satisfaction is very important in every business. Thus, in this regard Amazon.com shows good marketing strategy in terms of pleasing their customers. However this particular aspect where amazon.com is good at is very short-lived. The strategy Amazon found to reconstruct their selves is by contacting retailers and asking them to sell some of their products at Amazon. Thus, companies such as Gaps, Circuit City Stores Inc and the like sell some of their products at Amazon as well as on their own websites. This particular strategy raised Amazon’s profit to 22%. However, business experts saw that Amazon’s sale could still grow by the year of 2008 if they would improve some aspects on their websites. By doing this Amazon could draw more retailing companies to join forces with them. Their website had also gotten so full to the point that shopping online on Amazon is no longer as convenient and as easy as it used to especially since so many url’s links customers from one website to another. Thus, if only Amazon.com would try to lessen the mess their website is in then the better their business would be. In terms of using the 4 P’s Amazon.com is doing fine in the price part since their prices are very reasonable added to the fact that they gives free shipment for some products. Amazon.com could also be found nationwide because they have opened stores on different countries such as Japan, Germany, etc. This particular strategy is good because it allows them to cover customers in a wide-range basis. However, Amazon.com shows difficulty in promoting most of their products because their website is not very organized. Searching for your desire product could be very strenuous for many insignificant links appears one after another. In terms of products they may be doing alright for they sell products with qualities however, their promotion of their product is not really good and thus they should focus on their marketing promotion to in order to attract customers and other retailers more. (Behr). Amazon.com has certain advantages though as mentioned earlier especially on their venture to merging with other retailers. They are also one of the most well-known on the e-commerce aside from the fact that they are managing to compete head on with other well-known businesses such as IBM, Microsoft, etc. In terms of selling old books side-by-side with new ones, Amazon has a good reason for that one too. Amazon.com aims to cater to the needs of different kinds of consumers. There are those who want new things no matter how expensive those things may be. However, there are those who does not really care on whether they are buying something old or new as long as they could afford the price. Thus in this regard Amazon.com is doing a great strategy by catering to the needs and wants of different kinds of consumers. By showing old books side by side with new ones they are also making it easier for their customers to better analyze which one they would pick. For example if Book A costs $15 if it is new and $13 if it is old and used then I would better analyze the pros and cons of buying a new book to that of buying the old one especially if the price difference is only $2. Overall this particular strategy of Amazon could be looked at in different light. However, this particular strategy may be serving Amazon’s purposes well and thus in this regard I think that showing your customer new products as compared to new ones is a good strategy. In a way it is the same as shopping in a certain shop wherein you ask for a particular book whose price is $25 and your money is only $20. Part of a business strategy is to provide an alternative thus it would be of no surprise if the saleslady would ask how much money you have with you and when you say $20 she would tend to show you a copy of the same book although the second one is used but in a lower price as compared to the new book. I am sure that Amazon is using this particular tactic in the same light as the hypothetical saleslady did. Reference: Behr, Mary E. â€Å"Case Study: Amazon.Com.† 2003.      

2 Unit Religion – Aboriginal Spirituality.

What does Terra Nullius mean? From at least 60,000 B. C. , Australia was inhabited entirely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with traditional, social and land rights. To the Aborigines the land was everything to them and is closely linked to their Dreaming stories. Dreaming is the belief system which explains how the ancestral beings moved across the land and created life and significant geographic features. In consideration, the Indigenous Australians are a people with a close relationship with the land, and through the land they maintain the spiritual links to the ancestral beings.The land is sacred, and for many thousand years, Aboriginal people lived in harmony on their land. After the arrival of the British colonies in 1788, Australia was declared â€Å"Terra Nullius†, which is a Latin term meaning land belongs to no one. As a result of this, Captain Cook, the British captain of the first fleet of ships to arrive at Australia’s shore, claimed that al l of the east coast of Australia belonged to Britain. The underlying argument was that Aboriginal people were so low on scale of human development that their needs were discounted.Because Aboriginal people did not farm the land, build permanent houses on it or use it in other familiar ways, the British decreed that they did not have rights over the land nor did they have any proof of land ownership. Another reason was that there was no identifiable hierarchy or political order which the British government could recognise or negotiate with. Once European settlement began, Aboriginal rights to traditional lands was disregarded and the Aboriginal people of the Sydney region were almost obliterated by introduced diseases and, to a lesser extent, armed force.First contacts were relatively peaceful but Aboriginal people and their culture was strange to the Europeans as well as their plants and animals. Consequently, Terra Nullius continued on for over 200 years. Figure 1: Eddie Mabo Figur e 1: Eddie Mabo Who was Eddie Mabo? Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo (seen in figure 1) was born on 29 June 1936, in the community of Las on Mer, known as Murray Island in the Torres Strait. His birth name was Eddie Koiki Sambo; however he was raised by his Uncle Benny Mabo through a customary ‘Island adoption’. During this time, the concept of â€Å"terra nullius† was legislation.When Eddie was growing up, life for the people of the Torres Strait Islands was strictly regulated with laws made by the Queensland Government. However, the Meriam people strived to maintain continuity with the past and continued to live a traditional lifestyle based on fishing, gardening and customary laws of inheritance. At the age of 16, Eddie was exiled from Murray Island for breaking customary Island law, and he set off for the mainland where a new life was waiting for him. Through university, Eddie read a speech in front of people about his people’s belief about the land own ership.A lawyer heard him and asked if he would like to argue with the Australian government about the right for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to have land rights. After this, Eddie Mabo was successful in addressing the concept of native title to the Australian government on behalf of Murray Island people. He is known for his role in campaigning for indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the high court of Australia which neglected the legal doctrine of â€Å"terra nullius† land belong to nobody, which characterized Australian law with regards to land and title.Eddie died in 21 January 1992 and was unable to see the native title given to them. What were the Mabo case and the high court decisions? In the 1970’s, the Queensland Government took over Aboriginal land and was unsympathetic to the concept of land rights or any idea of native title to the land. On the 20th of May 1982, Eddie Koiki Mabo and four other Torres Strait Islanders c hallenged â€Å"terra Nullius† and began their legal claim for ownership to the Supreme Court of Queensland of heir lands on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait since their people had lived on the islands long before the arrival of the white settlement. Eventually, the supreme court of Queensland dismissed the case. Later, another challenge to the concept of â€Å"terra Nullius† was witnessed when Mabo and the four other islanders took the case to the High court of Australia. They requested that the court declare that their traditional land ownership and rights to the land and seas of the Mer Islands had not been extinguished. Furthermore, they claimed that the Crown’s authority over the islands was subject to the land rights of the Murray Islanders.It was not until 3 June 1992 that Mabo case No. 2 was decided. By then, 10 years after the case opened, Eddie Mabo had died. By a majority, six out of one of the judges agreed that the Meriam people did have tradi tional ownership of their land. The judges held that British possession had not eliminated their title and that the Meriam people are entitled as to possession, occupation, use and enjoyment of the lands of the Murray Islands. This decision has wiped the concept of â€Å"terra nullius† and awarded the indigenous Australians with the Native Title.Consequently, the term â€Å"Native title† is still in existence and contributed to allow the Indigenous Australians to maintain a continuous spiritual and cultural connection to the land. Therefore, this decision was important because it recognised that Australia was inhabited By the Indigenous Australians long before the White settlement and hold the native title. What is the Native title Act (1993) Commonwealth? Native title is a legal term which recognises the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the use and occupation of lands with which they have maintained a continuing, traditional connections.Eventu ally, in the 1970’s the Queensland government began to remove the land rights of people of Murray Island in the Torres Strait. One of the Meriam people, Eddie Mabo, took the Queensland Government to court to prevent this from happening. Sadly, this case failed. Moreover, Mabo and some other people took the case to the high court of Australia. The high court decided in favour of the Meriam people and recognised the principle of Native title. Ultimately, during this historical event, Eddie Mabo was dead. In 1993, The Keating Labor government passed the Native Title Act.This Act accepted the notion of Native title in law and also recognised the rights of owners of freehold property. Nevertheless, pastoralists and miners were still concerned, and many people leased land from the government. The legislation aimed to codify the Mabo decision and implemented strategies to facilitate the process of granting native title. However, it had not resolved the question of whether the granti ng of pastoral lease extinguished Native title. In this case, the High court argued that native title could co-exist with the rights of leaseholders.However, the pastoralists and the mining companies who lease lands were still concerned that the court was too much in favour of native title. In 1997, native title act passed by the Howard government. This act stated that Native title and leasehold rights could co-exist and in any conflict, the rights or the leaseholders would come first. What was the Wik Decision (1996) commonwealth? The Native title Act of 1993 had not resolved the question of whether the granting of a pastoral lease extinguished Native title.In 1993, the Wik people on Cape York in Queensland made a claim for land on Cape York Peninsula which included two large Pastoral leases. The federal court upheld the Native Title Act 1993 against the Wik people, with an argument that Aboriginal Australians had no control over land that has been leased. This case was further tak en to the High court of Australia. In December 1996, the high court ruled that the granting of a pastoral lease had not in fact extinguished native title. With reference to a letter from 1848 in which a British secretary of state for colonies wrote to governor ofNSW which stated that the leaseholders had to negotiate with the traditional owners to allow them access. Pastoralists viewed the Wik decision with great concerns, for they had always believed that they had full and sole rights to manage their leases. After the Wik decision, Pastoralists would have to negotiate with any group who could prove native title right. Unfortunately, the pastoralists and miners increased the pressure on government because they were not happy with the Wik decision and the idea that Indigenous Australians had rights to leased land.After a debate on this issue, the Howard government passed an amendment to the 1993 Native title Act. This change reduced the rights of indigenous Australians under the act and removed their right to negotiate with pastoralists and miners. This new law, made it difficult for Aboriginal Australians to make land rights claims Outline the importance of the Dreaming for the land rights movement? The Dreaming for Australian Indigenous people (sometimes referred to as the Dreamtime or Dreamtimes) refers to when the Ancestral Beings moved across the land and created life and significant geographic features.The land rights are of critical importance in relation to Aboriginal spirituality, because the dreaming is inextricably connected with the land. Since the Dreaming is closely connected to the land, the land rights movement is an important movement in helping Aboriginal people re-establish spiritual links with their sacred land which was lost as a result of the European settlement. The dreaming is essential to the land rights movement because of many reasons such as: To the Aborigines, the dreaming is the central role which land occupies in Aboriginal spirit uality, as land is the path through which the dreaming is experienced and communicated.Without the land, the dreaming cannot be communicated because it is from the land that the stories of ancestor spirits in the dreaming flow. It is through their intimate connection to the land that the foundational concept which lies at the heart of Aboriginal spirituality, that is, the dreaming can be accessed. The land therefore, acts as the mother for the Aboriginal people, and that since it is, the identity of every Aboriginal person is closely linked to the land. Therefore, the importance of the land rights movement for Aboriginal spirituality should not be underestimated.More importantly, the dreaming stories provide the entire ethical and moral basis by which Aboriginal people live on their land and relate to each other. It is known that the access to their land is fundamental to the putting into practice of Aboriginal law. This factor underlies the Aboriginal law is the knowledge and ritua l relating to sacred sites. These sites need to be cared for and this is done through ritual ceremony. Each person is linked to the spirit ancestor who created the land, and it is this which creates an Aboriginal person’s identity.Through the dreaming, Spirit connects each person with particular sacred sites, with the result that each person has a connection with specific places on the land. According to the Aboriginal belief system, individuals have clearly defined responsibilities in relation to the land, in particular the protection of sacred sites. Sacred sites may be desecrated through grazing, mining, or perhaps contact with site by people without knowledge of the necessary ritual. Access to these sites is critical for the performance of rituals and ceremonies so that the law can be taught to new generations.Another importance of the dreaming is that the dreaming connects each tribe to a totem. A totem is an emblem mainly a plant or an animal that has become a symbol fo r a group who is believed to be responsible for their existence. The totem unifies the Clan (group) under the leadership of the spirit ancestor and thereby also creates a metaphysical connection with other clans bearing the same totem. Without their access to their totems, the Aboriginal people would lose their identity and prevent the belief system to be passed on to the next generation. Also, being taken away from a totem can alienate the individual from their clan.The land rights movement can re-establish the access to the totems and belonging to the same clan under the sacred totem. Thus, the dreaming which explains the clan’s existence by their totem is essential to the land rights movement. For the purpose of land rights and spiritual fulfilment of the land, the Australian History has witnessed many land rights movement. Those include the Yolgnu people of Yirrkala in 1963 and the 1966 Gurindji people. In 1963, the Yolgnu people of Yirrkala sent a typed petition in both their own language and English to the federal parliament because the government had granted a mining company the right to mine auxite without consulting the traditional owners. The paper was fixed to a surrounding bark painting which depicted the people’s relationship with the land, and the Yirrkala people were seeking recognition of rights to their traditional lands on the Gove Peninsula. This however, was rejected in the court. To not underestimating this land rights movement, it was the first Aboriginal land rights movement and was an important step in the eventual recognition of indigenous land rights movement.Another Early land rights movement was in 1966, when the Gurindji people began a strike at the British-owned Wave Hill station in the Northern Territory to protest about intolerable working conditions and low wages. They set up a camp at Wattie Creek and demanded that some of their traditional lands to be restored to them. The protest eventually led to their being g ranted the rights to Wattie Creek by the Whitlam Government in 1975. The passing by the Fraser Government of the Commonwealth Land Rights Act northern territory, 1976, gave Aboriginal people freehold title to traditional lands in the northern territory.As shown, the land rights movements were based on the belief of the dreaming. This is because the land is closely linked to the dreaming and by restoring land rights again, the Aboriginal community could re-establish the dreaming which involves the land, sacred sites, totems and ancestral beings. How has dispossession affected Aboriginal spirituality? (seperatio Land, kinship, stolen generation). The Dispossession of the Indigenous Australians has had a major impact on their Spirituality and beliefs, including their connection to the land, kinship and explored a major effect which is the stolen Generation.When the White Settlement began in Australia in 1788, Australia was called â€Å"terra Nullius† meaning that the land belong s to no body. What was unknown to the British settlement is that the land is the home for the Aborigines and those Aborigines have been living in this land for more than 50,000 years. In the nineteenth century and much of the twentieth century the official policy towards Aboriginal Australians was called protectionism. Protectionism is the idea that Aboriginal Australians needed to be separated from the white society and be protected because they were unable to do so.As a result, they were removed from their traditional lands and placed in missions which at that time were controlled by Christian churches. This was a major factor in separating Aboriginal people from their own culture and religions. Since the Aboriginal religion is based on the dreaming which refers to the time where ancestors created the land, the dreaming is closely connected to the land because it is through the land that the stories of the dreaming emerge. Many of their rituals and ceremonies were inseparably link ed to the land and sacred sites.Consequently, many Aborigines were separated from their spiritualties and beliefs. Another major effect of dispossession from land is when separated people have later tried to gain access to their land but have no knowledge of the law and tradition and also no proof of their connection to the land. Therefore, dispossession from land has impacted on the Aborigines because the land plays a major role in their spiritual beliefs. Similarly, separation from Kinship groups has limited the Aboriginal people’s opportunity to express their religion in traditional songs and dances.The Kinship is a complex system of belonging, relationships and responsibilities within a tribe that are based on the dreaming. Due to the fact that most of Aboriginal tribes had their own language, separation from kinship made it impossible for Aboriginal people to preserve their own language and dreaming stories of their clan (tribe). It is known that each Aboriginal individu al has a responsibility within their clan. Many Aborigines as a result of dispossession lost the opportunity to participate in rituals that would gain them acceptance into the clan.Eventually, Kinship groups had the responsibility for raising and nurturing children even though they were not their biological children. When children were taken away from their clan by the white colonisation, the community lost the responsibility of taking care and nurturing the children and thus, lost the concept of kinship. Another effect of separation from Kinship groups is that the separation prevented individuals from inheriting the traditional parenting skills such as teaching the young their responsibilities and the dreaming stories.Separation from Kinship can also mean isolation from the ceremonial life. Ceremonies such as initiations or funerals are of a critical importance because they are a part of the Aboriginal life. Without these ceremonies, a person is disconnected to their kinship and th eir Aboriginal spirituality. This also limited the spread of their beliefs to the next generations. Hence, Kinship separation has led to the loss of spirituality. The so called â€Å"Stolen Generations† have also affected the Aboriginal spirituality.The term â€Å"Stolen Generation† refers to the children who were removed from their homes between 1900 and 1972 by the Government and Church missionaries in an attempt to assimilate these children into European society. Most of the children who were taken away lost contact with other Aboriginal people, their culture, beliefs and land. In addition, they also lost their own languages. As a result, the stolen generation found it difficult to restore the connection with their own people and culture. The children were only exposed to white culture, because they were told that their families had rejected them or they were dead.The contact between the children and families was rarely allowed. This lead to a lack of role models ta ught the Aboriginal beliefs. Some of the stolen Generation could not pass on the dreaming stories of the ancestral beings to their children, unlike how they were initially taught with their Aboriginal community. Many of the children were exposed to Christianity in its various forms. The children were taught the Christian religion in Christian missions, which undoubtedly contributed to the destruction of aboriginal culture and spirituality. Thus, the removing of the Aboriginal children had impacted on the Aboriginal spirituality.Therefore, the dispossession from the land, kinship and the stolen Generation has affected the Aboriginal Spirituality. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. aboriginalheritage. org/history/history/ [ 2 ]. http://www. parliament. nsw. gov. au/prod/web/common. nsf/key/HistoryBeforeEuropeanSettlement [ 3 ]. 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