Law and Morality Essay

Morality can be described as a set of values common to society, which are normative, specifying the correct course of action in a situation and the limits of what society considers acceptable. Law on the other hand according to Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary is a rule of conduct imposed and reinforced by the sovereign. A body of principles regognized and applied by the state in the administration of justice. If law is to enforce morals, then it is faced with the problem that what one person considers immoral, another might not, so which viewpoint should the law uphold. This can be seen in the case of Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority (1986) where Mrs Gillick sought a declaration that what she saw as an immoral activity (making contraceptive advice and treatment available to girls under the age of consent) was by nature of its immorality, illegal. This was a moral conflict as some saw this as immoral – it encouraged underage sex – others felt it was moral as young girls would engage in underage sex anyway , but contraceptives would prevent unwanted pregnancies. Which viewpoint would the law support. The House of Lords ruled against Mrs Gillick but stated that they were governed by the relevant statutes rather than moral arguments. What then is the relationship between law and morality. What are the differences and similarities The vast differences between existing theories of the basis of law often fail to notice the fact that they are based on the practice of comparing an act to certain standards in order to determine its legality. [1] Different approaches differ in terms of which standards are compared and assessed, though both ultimately assess acts to certain standards to determine their legality or morality. The two leading theories on the topic are positivism and naturalism – the debate between the two has fuelled theorists for centuries. Many observers of positivism presume that it completely dismisses any role of morality in the application of the law, while naturalism bases the existence and validity of law on moral bases. Although the theories are fundamentally different, it is argued that a link between law and morality is glaringly obvious and unavoidable, no matter which side one chooses to follow or favour. This paper will seek to argue that claims which deny any link between law and morality are weak and flawed at best, and apply in a limited manner to simple, straightforward cases. The mere existence of the ‘hard case’ and of court deliberation provides a great deal of evidence for not only the existence of the link between law and morality, but also the necessity of such a link. The naturalist and positivist theories will be explored in order to assess whether the link between law and morality can survive its critics and strengthen the faith of its followers. Legal Positivism Positivists claim that objective morality simply cannot exist because values consist of different attitudes towards and beliefs about certain values. [2] Attitudes and beliefs differ between individuals and cause us to react to a certain act in a subjective manner. Moral perceptions are predominantly emotional, so that such assessments in the realm of the law cause uncertainty and inconsistency. It also fails to recognise difficult cases and the possibility of new cases arising. The apparent main flaw of positivism is that it is unable to explain the legal deliberation which takes place in the courtroom, particularly the difficult cases which have no apparent ‘yes or no’ answer. The very difficulties posed by interpreting the law and applying it to everyday circumstances are unable to be adequately explained by positivism. Indeed, there is a distinction here between hard and soft positivists; the latter do recognise a form of moral basis upon which written laws are perched. Yet both soft and hard positivists are at pains to explain how hard cases arise, in which there is simply no right or wrong answer, and in which morality may unavoidably take a central role. Morality and the Naturalist Approach Naturalists claim that non-legal considerations such as ideological, moral and political factors are not only relevant to the posited law, but that law is also based on such factors. The central argument of naturalism is that objective knowledge of right and wrong can and does exist, and that this provides the basis for legal decisions as well as for the validity of law. Naturalists such as Aquinas[3] claim that natural law provides the basis of validity for posited laws. Rousseau[4] believes that positive law cannot override or entrench upon certain existing natural rights; Aristotle claims that natural justice exists independently of individual perceptions of or opinions on it. [5] Jeremy Bentham proposed utilitarianism where moral action was the one that produced good for many, even it was at the expense of one – the greatest good for the greatest number. John Stuart Mill’s refinement of the idea argues that while this is true the individual should not have to follow society’s morals and should be free to act as they wish provided they do not harm others. The problem arises in defining who are included in others and what is harm. It is clear that naturalist claims to provide a strong link between law and morality, the latter of the two being a basis upon which the former is based. Judges, when they interpret and apply posited law, often make non-legal considerations in order to apply the law effectively. Naturalism, however, has a major flaw in that it claims the existence of objective morality. There are many case examples which suggest otherwise. [6] One presented with two rather extreme and different concepts of the link (or not) between law and morality. Is it plausible that such a links exists? Is there evidence for such a link, and how does it serve to affect how the law is administered? Does there really need to be objective knowledge of right and wrong in order for the link to be maintained? In order to explore these questions, the ever-elusive ‘difficult case’ will be assessed. It will be argued that the link between law and morality is not weakened by the argument that objective knowledge of right and wrong is nonexistent. The debate over the relationship between law and morality came to the forefront in the Hart/Devlin debate which followed the publication of Wolfenden Report in 1957. The report recommended the legalization of prostitution and homosexuality on the particularly untilitarian basis that â€Å"the law should not intervene in the private lives of citizens or seek to enforce an particular pattern of behaiour further than necessary† to protect others. Hart supported the report’s approach stating that legal enforcement of moral code is unnecessary. Devlin on the other hand was strongly opposed to the report. He felt that society had a certain moral standard which law was obliged to uphold as society would fall apart without a common morality. Devlin felt that this morality should be based on the views of the ‘right-minded person’ and that legislature should adhere to three basic principles: (1) Individuals should be allowed as much freedom and privacy as is possible without compromising morality. (2) Parliament and the judiciary should be cautious about changing laws relating to morality and (3) punishment should be used to prevent actions considered abominable to ‘right-minded people’. Hart opposed this view questioning what was ‘right-minded’ and submitted four reasons for not criminalizing what the ‘right-minded person† objected to. (1)Punishment of someone does harm to them only and if their actions involved no one else this was not right. (2) Free will is very moral, so interferance with free will would be immoral, (3) Free will allows learning through experimentation and (4) legislation surpressing an individual’s sexuality will harm them, as it can affect their emotional state. For the majority of legal issues, judges are not required to deviate from posited law and precedent in order to decide. The law makes murder wrong, and it has been a long-standing principle that taking the life of another is morally abhorrent. Yet what of the ‘hard cases’? What if A kills B in self-defence? What if C forced A to kill B else A lose his own life? What if the application of a law is indeterminate? Can posited law be applied without recourse to moral reasoning? Positivists such as Dworkin and Hart differ in their approach. Dworkin claims that there will always be applicable law,[7] while Hart claims that judges can make non-legal considerations under such circumstances. [8] Hart’s theory is applicable to the less open-textured terms where changes made by non-legal considerations are the result of â€Å"resemblances which can reasonably be defended as both legally relevant and sufficiently close. †[9] The judge thus utilises morality as a way of choosing between pre-existent definitions, without devising his own definitions. Although Hart is classed as a positivist, he does acknowledge a â€Å"core of indisputable truth in the doctrines of natural law†[10] which enables law to be based on something more than simply factual considerations. Hart’s theory can be interpreted as recognising a form of natural law, although he does stipulate that having recourse to moral values does not always ensure that law and its application will be just. This assessment of Hart’s approach is plausible, and it serves to create a link between law and morality which avoids the objective criticism of the naturalists. It provides a strong argument for a link between law and morality which is based on interpretational, social considerations which are evident in the courtroom today. It is perhaps necessary to query: does the law define what is right and wrong, or do we determine good and bad independently of the law? There are certainly evident customs in society which have strong influences on the way we behave. Such customs are not implemented by the law or backed by a sanction; they are simply examples of moral codes within a society which exist independently to the law. Does this mean that law and morality have no connection so that the latter can only be found in customs? Does a moral rule backed by the law become a valid law no matter what its content? It is arguable that even majority abhorrence of an act does not make it an immoral act per se, despite the fact that societies need a shared moral outlook in order to exist. [11] It could thus be suggested that the law is simply an embodiment of the current moral outlook of society; like morality the law changes according to attitudes and social tolerance. It is such observations that cause the positivist shunning of the link between law and morality to become less convincing. It is even arguable that the obeying of law is based on the recognition of the moral rule that law should be obeyed; the threat of sanction is evidently not enough to deter some. It could further be argued that the only reason that legislation has authority as law is because of the moral structure of a society. As has already been mentioned, the law develops and evolves according to moral outlooks; this can be seen where laws prohibiting same sex marriages and abortion have been abolished. If the law were completely disconnected from morality, why has it developed and evolved over time? Why does social pressure to repeal or change law often achieve its goal? The Link Between Law and Morality – Evidence Dworkin claims that courts refer to non-legal (moral) standards when deciding hard cases. Assessing and taking into account moral and political considerations has the potential to create a complex web of law and â€Å"justify the network as a whole†. [12] It is strongly arguable that deciding difficult cases without appealing to non-legal considerations is futile – the reason that such cases are ‘hard’ is because the law does not provide enough direction. However, it is important here to stress that decisions are not free to be made according to personal convictions – judges are on the contrary required to carefully weigh social factors in applying and interpreting the law. Dworkin’s theory in this sense is able to escape the positivist criticism that non-legal convictions are ultimately subjective. Rather, the judge is assigned the difficult interpretative task which is seen constantly in court. This is evident in cases such as that of Re A (Conjoined Twins)[13] in which moral judgements were inevitable and necessary in applying the law to the specific circumstances of the case. Ultimately, the judges were faced with the decision of killing one twin in order to save the other, or to not act and cause the death of both twins. While moral judgements are dangerous ground here, a positivist could not argue that the law as it is could be applied simply and without problem – often the law is simply not enough. The law in this case proved of very little aid – how is one to decide whether A’s life has more importance or value than B’s life? While moral considerations could have caused the decision to fall either way, it must be stressed that such situations must risk the dangerous ground created by moral convictions, particularly because the law provides little guidance. Simple cases indeed provide evidence that a link between law and morality is not only non-existent, but also not necessary. [14] Yet the ever-emerging hard cases cry otherwise; they not only highlight the constant shortcomings of posited law, they also emphasise the need to acknowledge and utilise the link between law and morality. Although theorists claim that natural law need not override positive law, except when the two conflict, this serves to strengthen the link between law and morality. If there is no link between law and morality, then how can conflict occur in the first place? Why does public outrage occur when an ‘unjust’ law breaks the boundaries of social tolerance? Those who claim that there is no link between law and morality utilise the naturalist claim to objective morality as their basis for criticism. Yet the term ‘universal morality’ need not apply to the universe as a whole. It is plausible, and certainly does not discredit the naturalist theory, that ‘universality’ or ‘objectivity’ remains as such despite being applied or interpreted differently between societies. Because the universal moral to preserve life may allow the sick to be killed in primitive societies to save sparse resources for the healthy, while requiring that all efforts be made to save every life possible in richer, more able societies. The moral principle – the preservation of life – still remains existent, it is simply expressed and applied differently between societies. [15] Conclusion There are various theories which discuss how law and morality should relate to each other. The current approach by the legal system seem to be that a common morality , based on traditional values should be maintained by the law as exposed by Devlin. Cases such as Shaw v Director of Public Prosecutions (1961) and Knuller v Director of Public Prosecutions ( 1972) made use of the conspiracy to corrupt moral. This had not been done since the 19th century. This was the beginning of the law to attempt to uphold society’s moral values according to Devlin’s doctrine. This approach continued as the more recent case of R v Brown (Anthony) 1992 demonstrates. The defendants had had willingly consented to various sado-masochistic practices and none of them reported it to the police. Yet they were prosecuted and their convictions were upheld by both the House of Lords and The European Court of Human rights, based on public policy to defend the morality of society. Whether or not the law should uphold the moral values of society is still debated. Those who criticise the link between law and morality often rely on the argument that no single opinion of correctness can exist,[16] yet such criticisms presuppose that such a link requires a single notion of correctness or justice. [17] It does not require such a single notion; it merely requires the recognition that legal considerations are often not enough, and that the interpretational practice which takes place is indeed a result of the link between law and morality. To ultimately deny a link between law and morality is to entirely discredit legal precedents, lengthy assessments of judge decisions, and the controversy of many difficult cases. It is also to turn away from the glaringly evident evolutions and changes which have occurred in the legal sphere – to ignore the changing of legal standards according to societal outlooks. Such evidence is difficult to ignore. Upon which other basis does the law stand if it does not reflect the moral tolerances and standards of the society which is subject to it? Bibliography R Alexy, ‘On the Thesis of a Necessary Connection between Law and Morality: Bulygin’s Critique’ (2000) 2 RJ 13, 138-147. T Aquinas, ‘Summa Theologiae’, in Selected Political Writings, JG Dawson (trans), AP D’Entreves (ed) (BB, Oxford 1970). J Bentham, Of Laws in General, HLA Hart (ed) (AP, London 1970a). J Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, JH Burns, HLA Hart (eds) (AP, London 1970b). E Bulygin, ‘Alexy’s Thesis of the Necessary Connection between Law and Morality’ (2002) 2 RJ 13, 133-137. P Devlin, The Enforcement of Morals (OUP, New York 1996). R Dworkin, Law’s Empire (Belknap Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1986). J Finnis, Natural Law and Natural Rights (OUP, New York 1980). HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (CP, Oxford 1961). HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (2nd edn, OCP, Oxford 1994). DD Raphael, Moral Philosophy (OUP, Oxford 1994). R Wacks, Understanding Jurisprudence (OUP, Oxford 2005). ———————– [1] R Wacks, Understanding Jurisprud). ence (OUP, Oxford 2005 [2] DD Raphael, Moral Philosophy (OUP, Oxford 1994) ch. 2. [3] T Aquinas, ‘Summa Theologiae’, in Selected Political Writings, JG Dawson (trans), AP D’Entreves (ed) (BB, Oxford 1970) pt. 2, qu. 94, art. 2. [4] JJ Rousseau, The Social Contract (OUP, Oxford 1762). [5] Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, H Rackham (trans) (William Heineman, London 1938). [6] Corbett v Corbett (1970) 2 WLR 1306 CA per Ormrod LJ. [7] R Dworkin, Law’s Empire (Belknap Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1986) 32-34. [8] HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (2nd edn, OCP, Oxford 1994) 145-147. [9] HLA Hart, The Concept of Law (CP, Oxford 1961) 127. [10] HLA Hart, 1994, op. cit. , 146. [11] P Devlin, The Enforcement of Morals (OUP, New York 1996). [12] R Dworkin, 1986, op. cit. , 245. [13] (2000) 4 All ER 961, (2001) 1 FLR 1 CA. [14] J Finnis, Natural Law and Natural Rights (OUP, New York 1980) 33-34. [15] J Finnis, 1980, op. cit. , 34. [16] E Bulygin, ‘Alexy’s Thesis of the Necessary Connection between Law and Morality’ (2002) 2 RJ 13, 133-137. [17] R Alexy, ‘On the Thesis of a Necessary Connection between Law and Morality: Bulygin’s Critique’ (2000) 2 RJ 13, 138-147.

How Did the Fascists Come to Power in Italy in 1922

Why did the fascists come to power in Italy in 1922? Fascism came to power in Italy in 1922 due to a number of different factors. The roots of fascism can be found in the failure of a whole political class and system to resist authoritarianism and it was a start of a big mistake made by the Italian government, even though allot of people thought Mussolini forced his way into power, in actual fact he was invited into parliament by an incompetent and underestimating liberal party (Giolitti) who formed a coalition with the fascists party in 1921 ‘the national block'.During the time the fascists came to power there was many post war problems such as political polarization, the melt down of public beliefs in the government, extreme financial problems and great concern of a Russian (Bolshevik) style revolution. One of the most important factors in the rise of fascism was the threat of socialism, which got more and more allusive during 1918-1920, (Bienno Rosso) ‘the two red year s'. In these years the socialists were co-ordinating general strikes in the public sector, street demonstrations, riots and the seizure of factories and land.As the liberal government struggled to keep a lid on the dramatic events occurring daily in post war Italy, the fascist’s party (Fascio di Combattimento) publicised its self as Italy’s saviour thus strengthening the public’s thoughts and views about the fascist's party. Such occasions were when the liberal party organised a general strike for all public workers e. g. police, firemen, bus drivers etc†¦ , and the fascist’s party stepped in and in effect ran the country, they drove the trams and bus's around for the public and literally kept the country running.This move by Mussolini portrayed himself as Italy’s knight in shinning armour changing peoples perspective on the party's future. Many people started to believe that Mussolini and the Squadristi were the only people willing and capabl e of saving Italy from socialism and the Bolshevik rising. It was the rise of the socialist’s party that ultimately gave the fascists a reason to evolve themselves as a strong political party and to gain a foothold in the political system. Another main reason for the rise of fascism was the weak political systems running Italy in the years leading up to the fascists reign.There were no less than 6 liberal coalitions that frequently clashed. It was only a few years before that Italy’s political groups were a small minority that kept itself in power by a tactic called ‘Transformismo' this meant that the government was unreliable and had no solid policies that they followed and incapable of dealing with the country's catastrophic debt's and the anarchy of socialism, ‘Depretis, Crispi, and Giolitti were all very skilled at this. As time went buy and public moral hit an all time low people started to see fascism to be the only way forward for Italy.Another impor tant factor to consider in the rise of fascism is that Italy had just came out of a war that they did not want to be entered into in the first place (ww1), to add to insult Italy missed out on allot of things that they were promised in the peace settlement of 1919. Although Italy had gained most of Istria and Trieste they lost out on African colonies they were promised such as, the African colony of Dalmatia on the Adriatic, and had the Italian speaking town of Fiume given to Yugoslavia.The public was outraged and calling the whole farce a ‘mutilated victory' as Italy was now in a huge financial crisis. The war had cost Italy 600,000 soldiers and the fascists and nationalists were quick to blame the Italian government for their incompetence. These events led to a protest in September 1919, Gabriele d' annunzio led a group of black shirted Arditi to the town of Fiume and held it captive for 15 months. The government’s failure to keep order further weakened their credibil ity and integrity, Mussolini used this to further strengthen him in the public’s eyes.The economic decline of Italy in the post war years influenced the rise of fascism in a number of ways. Italy was on the verge of collapse, industries run down, widespread unemployment and huge inflation which saw taxes sore to an all time high, as well as around 1. 5 million strikers in 1919. In 1920 500,000 workers staged a sit-in in the metallurgical industries. Frightened by what was happening in Russia and the barbaric activities by the socialists many respectable figures in Italian society started to fear a Russian revolution was around the corner.All this tension added to the public’s frustration and made them more open minded about ideas on how to save Italy from national disaster. Bernito Mussolini seen what was happening to the country and being the opportunist that he was played on the public’s dejection and defencelessness, to secure power and fame. An enormous fact or in the rise of fascism is the fascist’s party and its leader Benito Mussolini. in his early days Benito Mussolini was a through and through left winger, after failing to find satisfaction in his teaching areer Mussolini turned to politics in 1912 becoming the editor of Italy’s leading socialists paper â€Å"Avanti†. Shortly after ww1 though Mussolini changed his tactics completely and switched from left to right when he realised that doing so would be the easiest way to power. Blinkhorn argues that Mussolini’s change of heart was not due to bribery but due to the limitations of the socialist’s militancy and policy's, Mussolini wanted complete revolution unlike most of his socialist colleagues. istorian Stephen lee said, ‘above all else Mussolini was an opportunist and his real strength lay in him having no overall system and no ideological straight-jacket', it was this resilience and pliability that made Mussolini the great force he was. A longside this Mussolini had great oratory skills which he used to engage with the public and portray himself in the way he wanted, this was a great advantage as Mussolini became editor of ‘Il popolo d'italia' which meant he could stir up anything he wanted and the whole of Italy would see it.The brute force and violence that the fascists’ party used was another key element that got them a foothold in the parliamentary system, many party's started to think they could use Mussolini as a pawn and use him to do the dirty work for them. the fascists party had a wide range of followers such as, the unemployed, demobilised soldiers, large land owners, industrialists and middle class people who all saw a use for the fascists party and started to finance their campaign, which gave then the edge over their rivals. his new excitement and hospitality by the ‘Facio de Cmbattimento' saw the numbers of fascists followers increase to around 250,000 by 1922, were as the union memb erships and strikes started to decline due to the frequent sacking and burning down of socialist buildings and beatings being handed out to socialist followers. Another big importance to the rise of fascism is the mistakes that Mussolini’s opponents made. It was Giolitti, the leader of the liberal party, that thought he could tame Mussolini and invited him to join forces and make a coalition.Giolitti thought he could manipulate Mussolini when he pleaded and keep him under control, but it was Mussolini that was doing the manipulating. once he made a coalition with the liberal party he gained 35 seats in parliament, it was this turning point that brought the start of Mussolini’s reign of terror. the 35 seats that he had gained got the wheel rolling for Mussolini and now that he had succeeded in getting a foothold in the parliamentary system people had gained respect for the fascists party and seen them in another light. ven the Vatican, journalists, the agrari(large land owners) and industrialists were following suit. The big mistake that the socialists made was organising a general strike to combat the fascists campaign but unfortunately this backfired immensely playing into the hands of Mussolini when the government gave him the role Italy’s saviour and within 24 hours the strike had been crushed and Mussolini portrayed as the hero. probably the biggest mistake was made was by the king, after the fascists planned a march on Rome to seize victory by gaining strategic points in cities.Mussolini appointed the Quadrumvirate (committee of four generals) to co-ordinate the march on Rome, and hoped that force would not be needed and the threat of it would be enough to keep order in his favour and bring him to power peacefully. no more than 30,000 poorly armed fascists were available for the march on Rome, and as they were collecting in the provinces the Prime Minister at the time, Facta, requested that the king declare martial law to allow the arm y to prepare themselves and be ready for the marchers. The king agreed to do so, but when Facta went to the palace to get the signature he needed the king refused to sign it. ome people say that the king changed his mind because he thought he would be replaced by his cousin (the Duke of Aosta), others say that it was because he was not convinced of the loyalty of the army and that he feared civil law, or that he underestimated the fascists support. for whatever reason the king changed his mind, his decision to do so gave the liberal party of Facta no choice but to resign. these mistakes made by his opponents made Mussolinis path to power easier than it should have been and on the 29th of October 1922 he received a phone call from the king offering him the premiership.To summarise the events leading up to the fascists time in power it must be underlined that these events could only have took place in this time of despare and needines, and could only have been undertaken by an opportu nist like Bernito Mussolini. Dennis mack smith said â€Å" fascism was not a system of immutable beliefs but a path to political power† He seen what needed to be done and got it done, even if it meant going against his own beliefs, he plagued the vulnerable and needy to succeed in his own goals.

A firework display Essay

The dull, murky water of Lake Windermere was surrounded by the happiness and laughter of the anticipating audience. Children spontaneously danced round the hypnotising bonfire, only to be outshone by the dazzling fireworks as they spiralled into the pitch black sky. Fragrant delicious smells filtered through the air as food was prepared. Bright lights and heckles from the games stalls lured the children in like a lion to its prey. Bonfire Night at Lake Windermere is a night to be remembered! Fireworks lit up the sky like the neon glow of the Northern lights. The sounds and colours exploding from them were phenomenal. A colossal rocket pierced the night sky as it crackled and popped skyward to its doom. Catherine wheels spun like banshees trying to escape the clutches of its captor, finally slowing to an undramatic end. Sprays of crimson lava spewed from the fountain firework like a mini volcanic eruption. Everyone seemed to stop and watch in wonder as the blood red haze from the traffic light entranced them, the spell finally broken when a wave of aluminous green light gave them the signal to move along. Juices drizzled and sizzled from the burgers. The smell of salt and vinegar wafted through the air, as succulent hot dogs were grilled on the barbecue. Children buzzed around like bees pursuing the sweet smelling nectar of popcorn and candy floss as it lingered in the air. Bonfire night favourites, sticky toffee apples and treacle toffee, are being devoured messily, but tasted as sweet as honey. Parents despair as over enthusiastic children scream and shout, only to be tamed by the promise of treats from the eager stall owners. Fluffy animals are dangled everywhere. Delightful squeals echo around the amusements stall, as the game is finally conquered and victory is obtained and the priceless spoils are handed over. Excited children hopped around the raging crackling bonfire as they magically created mystical images with glowing sparklers. Cold, weary parents are drawn to the warmth and comfort of the roaring flames, as it slowly breathed life back into their chilled bodies. The heat turned their faces red like fresh juicy cherries. The bright yellow and orange flickering blaze captivated and memorised the crowd, and the inferno roared like a dragon as  it spat and spluttered singed wood and charcoal. Like a cat, the flames licked the scrawny Guy Fawkes at the top. He stood there, lifeless, dressed in tatty old clothes with bright red eyes, and looked like the devil as he was engulfed and consumed by the intense fire. Smoke filled the air. It tasted bitter, and snaked and slithered into the watching eyes of the crowd making them glisten and sting. Couples, hand in hand, romantically sauntered down to the icy waters edge. Together as one they would light their lantern, kiss gently, and then snuggle together to watch as it gracefully glided and twirled across the glistening lake like a prima ballerina. The silence, tranquilly and romance was broken as children raced to the lake eager to be the first one to light one of the special lanterns. Their hands shook as they tried so hard to be careful with the wafer thin lantern. As they cautiously set the lanterns down onto the rippling water, it gradually edged its way into the dark unknown. The once murky dark lake was now lit up like a Christmas tree, with fireflies shimmering across its surface. Bonfire Night drew to a close. Tired, weary children were snuggled up like little lambs in their parent’s arms, all ready for their warm cosy bed, their favourite teddy bear, and a good night kiss from Mum and Dad. Couples arm in arm gradually walked home. A relaxed and content glow on all their faces after a fun filled evening. The once raging bonfire was now just glowing embers twisting and turning like fireflies. The night sky returned to its peaceful existence. The smell of gunpowder was everywhere, and the lake mirrored the night sky with the lanterns twinkling like stars.

Compare and contrast american pop culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare and contrast american pop culture - Essay Example In recent years, their message has changed in America to take out most of the gender references and focus instead on the street culture of the adolescent generation. In its reintroduction to the Saudi Arabian market, the company has taken a similar approach but modified it some to be more in keeping with the attitudes and beliefs of the Saudi culture. By comparing the advertising approaches of the Coca-Cola company in America in the past two decades with that of the Saudi campaign since its reintroduction in 1988, one can get a sense of how these cultures are different and the same. In the 1990s, Coke turned to the adolescent and pop markets for advertising inspiration in America. They didn’t focus on gender types at all, but instead worked to portray a healthy, balanced yet completely in tune and alive product that radiated energy. A television advertisement in the mid-1990s displayed a chalk drawing with several renderings of the circular Coca-Cola logo against a multi-hued background reminiscent of the 60s hippie styles. This even goes as far as to insert psychedelic-type paint styles and the insertion of the word â€Å"Always† in various ways that both serve to highlight the use of the product always, reinforce its place in the iconography of American culture (along with the use of the hippie artistic style) and associates itself with a new and energized pop culture that remains focused on the young. The bottle that becomes the focal point of this image does not have any of the detail Americans were used to seeing, even going so far as to leav e the label off, featuring nothing more than a brown bottle shape. By contrast, the commercials played in Saudi Arabia focused almost exclusively on people as one commercial limits the viewing area to the face of a woman wearing traditional head-covering and to the glass in which she is pouring her Coke. The labeled bottle of

What are the major arguments for both the advantages and disadvantages Essay

What are the major arguments for both the advantages and disadvantages of(1) division of powers and checks and balances and (2) federalism - Essay Example ecutive branch had the complete power of the United States vested in its care then a significant amount of individuals could potentially feel alienated or oppressed by the decision-making (Joe). Similarly, the short time period of congressional representatives, and the life period of judicial representatives allows for differing perspectives to be thrown into the political mix. Still theorists recognize that there are many disadvantages. The United States operates under what has been termed Federalism. One of the primary tenants of Federalism is that there is a national government, but states that fall within the auspices of this governmental structure. There is then a further division of powers between the states and the national government. Just as with the branches of government, the checks and balances between state and national powers guard against corruption and allow for multiple perspectives. Still, the disadvantages with both the divisions of the branches and Federalism are that they create layers of bureaucratic government structure. These added layers hinder the quick passage of laws that could directly contribute to the betterment of society (Rice). Joe, Chris. "Drawbacks of Checks and Balances." . N.p., 2011. Web. 26 Mar 2012.

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Uni 2 DB SA Third Week Essay

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement Uni 2 DB SA Third Week - Essay Example changing business environment and fluctuating costs involved in product development, it may be difficult for them to charge full-rate prices in future, which eventually may affect its profitability and productivity growth. Secondly, low-price strategy carries a risk that the cost leader, in its single-minded desire to reduce costs may lose sight of changes in customer’s tastes, eventually, the company might make decisions that reduce costs but drastically affect product demand. Furthermore, competitors’ ability to imitate cost leader by lowering their cost structure is another threats posed to Aldi, they might be beaten at their own game causing them to struggle to compete in future (Hill & Gareth 2011). Aldi stores focuses on low-cost leadership strategy to win its market share and encourage customer loyalty. The company focuses on low-income customers and offers limited amounts of product assortment, which has made them a more competitive store. The low-price strategy together with discounts offered on products by Aldi has forced other organizations to lower their prices in an effort to survive in the market. Yes, this strategy affects the amount allocated on adverting because these companies tend to keep their costs low by minimizing advertising expenses on television and the internet. These organizations tend to achieve the lowest costs possible; adverts on television and the internet are associated with high costs, which these firms seek to

Film Review Critique Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Critique - Movie Review Example The reviews highlight some of the outstanding aspects of the film. This paper will present a critical analysis of three of the reviews of the movie. The director of this movie sought to tell the story of the 1937 massacre from the perspective of a non-Chinese individual. This is the reason why the film presents the story from the perspective of John Miller, an American who found himself in the middle of the events defining the massacre. He was unable to escape the main city in time a factor that forced him to find refuge in a Catholic cathedral. In the cathedral, he found a group of schoolgirls and an altar boy. Although he was drunk at that moment, he faced the compulsion of protecting the schoolgirls from attacks by the Japanese. In addition to the schoolgirls, some prostitutes also found shelter in the cathedral. John Miller was forced by the situation to take responsibility in protecting the schoolgirls as well as the prostitutes. He was helped by the altar boy named George towards their status of heroism (Errigo 2012, n.p). The review of the movie The Flowers of War written by Angie Errigo highlights several aspects of the movie. The review begins by presenting a summary of the plot in which Errigo highlights the role played by John Miller in saving the schoolgirls. She is keen to mention that he was poised to pose as a priest in order to successfully protect the schoolgirls. However, her summary of the plot leaves some of the critical details that define the plot. The review then focuses on describing the efforts made by the director Zhang Yimou. The review mentions that the director has had previous experience releasing films that earned global attention. In this review, the theme of the film, which seeks to retell the events of the 1937 siege of China by Japan is highlighted. The review acknowledges that this theme has been the focus of different directors with each bringing out a unique product. Errigo

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of Essay

What role do vulnerability and resilience play in the emergence of atypical child development - Essay Example Genetic and environmental factors interact with varying degrees of plasticity to effect developmental change. To very briefly outline the stages, or milestones of a child’s growth from birth onwards, research has identified, physical, motor, cognitive. socio-emotional, language acquisition variables, and their mechanisms, along with speed and pattern of development in terms of both population and individual differences. In spite of minor variations due to cultural and environmental factors, there is wide agreement as to what could be seen as ‘gifted’ or super-normal development and, at the other end, sub-normal or less than optimal development and functioning of children. Such differences are likely to persist into adulthood. However, the term atypical development is used more in the context of sub-normal rather than super-normal populations. More recent research into the lower end of the scale in child development, which is a minority, and considered atypical under normal conditions, has concentrated on what have been identified as vulnerability and resilience factors. The motivation has been to identify, intervene, and actively improve the chances of accomplishment of a satisfactory life trajectory for those children identified as being in danger of failing to reach societal norms of everyday life. To emphasise the global spread of child development research and application, studies from the USA, Australia and South Africa within the last decade are cited in this essay; (Masten & Gewirtz (2006), Mutimer, Reece, and Matthews (2007), Theron (2006). Vulnerability in children is described as risk factors, both individual and environmental hazards, which tend to result in negative developmental outcomes. Among individual characteristics are, intrauterine growth retardation, low birth weight, in-utero experience of maternal drug use, physical disability, and a variety of genetic defects. Among the immediate environmental hazards are family

Logic exercise hypothesis testing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Logic exercise hypothesis testing - Assignment Example Doug disregards Al’s statements as not true and argues that at least one of Charles’ statements is true, further he claims that he does not like to eat game. It is clear that, statements 2 and 3 made by Al are true; Bill’s third statement is the only true statement, and statements 1, 2 made by Charles are also true. Doug also makes two true statements, 2 and 3. Therefore, it can be said that, Bill is the poacher, based on the fact that a guilty party makes only one true statement (Poletiek, 2001), is the guilty one. The Butcher’s first statement that he was not there is entirely false, so is his second and third statements, as well. Given that the Butcher’s first statement is false and the Baker first statement claims to agree with it, it means that, his statement is not also true. The Candle stick maker makes at least two true statements, 1 and 2. The Cobbler’s third statement is not true since it contradicts his first statement. He says that he agree with the bakers third statement, which is in agreement with the Butcher’s second statement, which claims that the Cobbler did it. All of the Blacksmith’s statements are true; therefore, he is the only suspect that makes no false

Crisis Of Famine In Bengal. Peter Singer's Views On Our Duties Of Research Paper

Crisis Of Famine In Bengal. Peter Singer's Views On Our Duties Of Foreign Aid And Charity - Research Paper Example Peter puts these arguments forward by way of two principles; one of them proposes the extent to which death and suffering is bad irrespective of the cause, which ranges hunger, deficient housing and inadequate. Secondly, he argues that one is obligated to mitigate morally bad state of affairs if they are able to do that without having to sacrifice that with another with the same moral importance (Singer, 1972). In his argument, Singer proclaims that it is only moral to help those in need with disregard to causing the same impact on the people. The three counter-arguments given by Peter considering the ideas and facts of his moral reasoning entail the argument that the manner in which the affluent in Bengal are reacting towards the same issue is forthrightly unjustified concerning morally acceptable behaviors (Singer, 1972). The affluent as observed above have the moral responsibility of assisting the needy and trying what they can to bring them out of the situation. The counterargume nts are presented in brief as follows: - that it is a bad occurrence that death and suffering are caused by malnourishment, home dwelling and issues to do with healthcare. Secondly, that it is advisable for one who is in the position of helping by way of preventing a bad occurrence from taking place if this can happen without them giving up something of equal importance. Lastly, in such efforts one is required to have a say as a good deal as they can in the efforts to alleviate the plagues (Mulroney and Kingston, 2012). Marginal utility is a concept that describes the additional satisfaction that a consumer gets from benefiting from the consumption of one extra unit of any form of benefit. Peter in his argument urges those in the position of helping to give up to the point of marginal utility and in this case, it is he point whereby if the individual gives up more it would cause them or their dependents as much suffering as they would be in the position of preventing a crisis in Ben gal. Peter Singer therefore advises that only those in the position of preventing bad from happening without giving up something of equal importance are advised to do so (Singer, 1972). This is because if everyone went ahead and came in to help, there would be many excesses some of which could not be used and would simply go to a waste. Peter does not think that is a problem but argues that it is not advisable for people to give at the same time but some form of organization should be formulated. The worst happens in a case where everyone came in to give but they gave less than they ought to have given (Mulroney and Kingston, 2012). Actually, the ideas of duty and charity are dynamic in Singer’s world and it begins from the Singer’s argument of the cause of suffering and death, which he attributes to lack of necessities like food, shelter and medical care. He says that is it is within our powers to prevent these then surely we should (Singer, 1972). Sacrifice here mean without causing a significant bad thing to happen as the example he gives of a sight to a drowning child which ought to be saved as opposed to the cloths being ruined. The article is recognized as a fascinating experience for the art of giving and not the reverse,

Evaluating an Argument Essay Example for Free

Evaluating an Argument Essay In Gary Bauslaugh’s essay â€Å"Zero Tolerance†, there were five (5) arguments leading to the overall impact of the work. To begin with, Bauslaugh states, â€Å"The current trend for public officials to talk of â€Å"zero tolerance† has arisen because it seems to express public frustration with the lack of justice in the world. It seems to say ‘we are fed up and aren’t going to take it anymore. ’ It tells the world that our resolve, in the face of some problem, is absolute. † Second, he proceeds stating, â€Å"Unfortunately, unmitigated determination, as suggested by the idea of zero tolerance, can be real threat to justice. It is too vulnerable to abuse. It can be used as a device to justify the thoughtless and undiscriminating application of rules. Zero tolerance expresses a demand for immediate results. † Third, Bauslaugh stated, â€Å"Justice is complex and elusive; it requires insight and the delicate balancing of interests and principles; it is achieved only through thoughtful and fair processes. † Fourth, he stated, â€Å"Many thousands of Americans, mostly young people, are sitting in jails because of the zero tolerance policy in the so-called war on drugs. Most of these are not real criminals or hard-core drug users. Some of them are addicts, but they need the best and most sensitive care if they are to have hope of being cured. The brutality of prison sentences will not help any of them, nor will it help make a better society for the rest of us. † And lastly, Bauslaugh stated, â€Å"Zero tolerance is not about protecting the public. It is about making politicians sound tough and it is about helping bureaucrats avoid difficult decisions. It is, indeed, a really bad idea, and we should no longer be fooled by it. † In analyzing the arguments stated above their standard forms come about as follows: Argument number 1: 1. The current trend for public officials to talk of â€Å"zero tolerance† has arisen 2. It seems to express public frustration with the lack of justice in the world. 3. It seems to say ‘we are fed up and aren’t going to take it anymore. ’ Therefore, it tells the world that the public officials’ resolve is absolute whenever faced with some problem Argument number 2: 1. Unmitigated determination is too vulnerable to abuse. 2. It can be used as a device to justify the thoughtless and undiscriminating application of rules. 3. Zero tolerance expresses a demand for immediate results. Therefore, unmitigated determination can be real threat to justice as suggested by the idea of zero tolerance. Argument number 3: 1. Justice requires insight and the delicate balancing of interests and principles. 2. It is achieved only through thoughtful and fair processes. Therefore, justice is complex and elusive. Argument number 4: 1. Many thousands of Americans, mostly young people, are sitting in jails because of the zero tolerance policy in the so-called war on drugs. 2. Most of these are not real criminals or hard-core drug users. 3. Some of them are addicts, but they need the best and most sensitive care if they are to have hope of being cured. Therefore, the brutality of prison sentences will not help any of them, nor will it help make a better society for the rest of us. Argument number 5: 1. Zero tolerance is not about protecting the public. 2. It is about making politicians sound tough. 3. Iit is about helping bureaucrats avoid difficult decisions. Therefore, it is a really bad idea and we should no longer be fooled by it. (3) Evaluate the argument using Govier’s ARG In the first argument, the condition A does not pass for the first statement cannot be proven true with its present words alone. It is considered as a posteriori synthetic as the subject of the statement which is â€Å"trend† cannot be clearly defined by â€Å"arisen† alone. How can one prove that there is really a trend of â€Å"zero tolerance† among public officials? There must either be a testimony from the officials themselves or even a statement mentioning/hinting it as a common knowledge. Both the second and the third statement, however, passes as true as these are both a priori analytic proven by the defining zero tolerance to be â€Å"an expression of public frustration with the lack of justice in the world† and â€Å"a statement saying ‘ we are fed up ad aren’t going to take it anymore. ’† The R condition, on the other hand passes. Statements one to three have all the essential evidence to support G. Bauslaugh first introduces â€Å"zero tolerance† in the first statement, and then defines it with the succeeding two premises. These support how the public officials display an absolute resolve whenever faced with a problem. The G condition has failed in a minor scale for the statement could’ve been concluded in a better way. The author could’ve stated, â€Å"It tells the world whenever the public officials are faced with some problem their resolution is absolute. † The confusion of who the â€Å"our† were in the statement is cleared out. In the second argument, condition A passes for the premises have been proven true. The first statement is classified as a posteriori analytic and is proven true by â€Å"common knowledge†. Unmitigated or absolute determination as far as everybody knows is vulnerable to abuse. Concentrating that power like that will eventually corrupt the person and he/she may use it for personal will. The second statement is classified as a priori analytic and is proven true by the â€Å"law of excluded middle†. The statement is neither true nor is it false. That makes it viable to pass for condition A. On the other hand, the third statement is classified as a priori analytic and is proven true by â€Å"the law of identity†. â€Å"Zero tolerance† was defined as â€Å"something which demands immediate results†. Surely, a man without patience acts on whim to get the job done. All the while, the R condition fails for the evidences lack strength in supporting the conclusion. The first statement does not relate to the other two and clearly it cannot support the conclusion on its own. The following two statements on the other hand are linked but cannot provide the support for the current conclusion form. Subsequently, the G condition fails as well for the R failed. It wasn’t supported well enough by the premises. The third argument passes all the ARG condition. The first statement is proven true by the logic’s â€Å"law of identity† while the second statement is proven by â€Å"common knowledge†. It is known to people that justice can truly be achieved by the fairness of the court and justice is defined as balancing the interests and principles. Both statements are harmonized to give support to the conclusion; thus fulfilling the R condition and the G condition. Due to the variety of qualities needed to implement justice, it is proven to be complex and vague. In the fourth argument, the condition A fails in a great scale. All of the statements are a posteriori synthetic and can be proven only by testimony by the authority. The R condition passes if they are seen as a whole. Individually, they cannot support the conclusion. The inductive pattern contributes greatly into the developing the strong conclusion. The G condition passes as well. The R condition was structured well and has provided sufficient evidence to highlight the conclusion. In the last argument,the A condition passes for all the statements are proven by logic, more specifically the â€Å"law of excluded middle†. They are not considered true or false. Such premises are derived only from the author’s essay and do not have testimony from authority nor are they considered as common knowledge. Regardless, they are also speculated and are not proven to be fallacies. The R condition passes for the statements are constructed greatly. It pointed out how the zero tolerance is harmful to people then to about how this â€Å"makes politicians sound tough† and hoe they can use this to â€Å"avoid difficult decisions†. Truly, a magnificent inductive reasoning. The G condition passes on a minor note but it could’ve been constructed in a more precise way. It could go like, â€Å"Zero tolerance, with all the injustices laid down, truly is bad for us. We must avoid it! †

Gun Control Essay Example for Free

Gun Control Essay Abstract Some reasons why colleges should look at the laws that they put in place and try to change them. Students should have the right to conceal weapons on college campuses. The guns provide the protection that may be necessary in certain situations. Like the Virginia Tech Shooting, many people could have been saved if only one person had a gun. Having a gun gives a sense of safety to many people on the campus, especially for women with a greater risk of intruders and rapists. For these women, knowing that they have a way to defend themselves can set their minds to ease. Though some believe that the allowance of guns would increase violence on campus, no other college that has allowed concealed firearms has had an issue. Another concerning issue would be that having guns on campus would be easier for students to commit suicide; there are just some things in life that authorities cannot control, and that is one of them. The right to have a concealed weapon on campus should be conveyed freely. Position Paper Legalize Concealed Weapons on College Campuses Liberty senior, Craig Storrs, says, â€Å"It makes me feel secure knowing I would be able to defend myself if something does happen, like Virginia Tech or if I get stopped on the street for a mugging or something like that† (Barry, 2011). The topic of legalizing concealed weapons on college campuses has been argued for many years. Some colleges have legalized concealed weapons on campus and have not had problems, but many will not even think about legalizing concealed weapons. Carrying a concealed weapon at the age of 21 is a right including a college campus, because it offers protection and safety to students (Students for concealed, 2008). Background of Concealed Weapons on College Campuses Since the Virginia Tech shooting, many colleges have changed their on-campus laws concerning firearms. In eight states, the legislation is considering if students and staff would be able to carry a concealed weapon into college buildings. Many officials did not want to have another repeat the Virginia Tech shooting. Two years before the Virginia Tech shooting, the lawmakers of Texas rejected a bill to allow concealed weapons onto college campuses. Since then, the bill has come back with better arguments for the right to have a concealed weapon on college campuses. Corey Zipper, a twenty-one year-old psychology major, went to the state capitol to talk to the officials to pass the bill. Corey Zipper stated, â€Å"We get the mature thing a lot – that college students aren’t mature enough. And the alcohol thing – that we’re all just boozed up all the time† (Burnett, 2011). He also states that the law states that â€Å"a person much be 21 years old, have a clean record and no psychiatric disorders, and take a 10-hour instruction course that includes time at a firing range† (Burnett, 2011). In 2009 Texas passed the bill to legalize having a concealed weapon on college campus (Burnett, 2011). It Gives Protection Allowing students to carry a gun could save their lives. Life can be unpredictable, so when something happens people should be prepared. If by being prepared means they need to carry a gun, then why would the state want to take that right from someone? A person has the right to protect his/herself and others, and a responsible firearm owner would do such. Many lives could be saved by the simple action of allowing concealed weapons on college campuses (Concealed Guns, 2011). Background of Virginia Tech Shooting On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, student at Virginia Tech, began his shooting around 7:15 A.M. in a co-ed dormitory. He first killed Emily Hilsher and Ryan Clark. The Virginia Tech Police Chief said, â€Å"We secured the building, we secured the crime scene† (Caruso, n.d.). The authorities did not put the college on lock down and had classes as schedualed. Seung-Hui Cho did not leave the campus; around 9:15 A.M. he started to kill again. He went into the engineering and science building and chained the doors so no one could escape. He then went into classroom after classroom; he killed 25 more students and five faculty members. Twenty-nine people were wounded. In the end Cho also took his life (Caruso, n.d.). It was reported that nineteen of the thirty-two victims that were killed were over the age of 21. The age of 21 is the legal age for the right to conceal a weapon in Virginia. If these students would have been able to carry a firearm onto campus, then perhaps these lives could have been saved. Instead of thirty-three lives taken that day, there should have been one. Innocent people would not have died (Students for concealed, 2008). Concealed Weapons Should not Depend on Location It is stated in the Constitution that a person has the right to bear arms at the age of 21. This law does not give specific places that are prohibited. People should not have to put their concealed weapon away because of where they are (The Right to Keep and Bear Arms, 1982). Public Places People can Carry Weapons Though colleges are small, some places that allow concealed weapons are smaller. When a person goes to the movies, they are allowed to carry a concealed weapon. No one would ever know because the weapon is concealed. Other places would include a shopping mall. When people are shopping, the last thing they are thinking is that the people next to them might have a gun on them (Students for concealed, 2008). Make College Students Feel Safer The right to conceal a weapon could put some students at ease. Knowing that they have a way to save themselves in dangerous situations may make the students more relaxed. If a student comes across a dangerous situation, then they are prepared. These students do not have to worry about what to do (Marin, 2012). College Intruders and Rapists It is easy for intruders to get into dorms. In New York, two men got into a building by sneaking in behind another guy after he swiped his card. When the college police were called they came and took the men without calling the cops. If this were to happen again, these men would be taken to the authorities. Knowing that it is easy for strange people to get into housing, it not be a good idea to rob students the right to have a concealed weapon. This would give some students that okay to live life and other the need of protection that they might not be able to find anywhere else (Rearick, 2011). One in four women have the chance of being raped in college. Guns could help defend so many different women. They could have gotten out of the situation if they just had a way of defense. Sometimes women are physically too weak to run from situations like that and the allowance of a gun would provide that opportunity to them (College Crime Today, n.d.). Counterargument: Guns on Campus Would Promote Violence . â€Å"Some professors might be afraid to issue bad grades if they know that students could be carrying guns† (Students for concealed, 2008). Some people believe that allowing student to carry firearms would push them to be violent. If the students are allowed to carry firearms, then they will not be afraid to use them. If there was an argument with another student, then these students would be tempted to use the gun to scare or even harm the other student (Students for concealed, 2008). Logical Response: Guns on Campus Would not Promote Violence There has been over thirty colleges campuses that have allowed concealed weapons on their campuses. These campuses have had no issues with gun violence, and there has not been a gun theft or accident in all these years. This shows that it is a possibility to carry conceal weapons and still get a great education with no distraction with no violence. Studies show, â€Å"concealed handgun license holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to commit violent crimes† (Students for concealed, 2008). Counterargument: Guns on Campus Would Encourage Suicide Some believe that allowing students to obtain firearms would increase the likelihood suicide. They would have all the resources they need now that they are able to carry concealed firearms. This would make it easier for these students to commit suicide without anyone knowing until after the fact. This would then increase the suicide numbers dramatically. Allowing a student to carry a firearm that could potentially use to kill themselves is not the way to help (Students for concealed, 2008). Logical Response: Guns on Campus Would not Encourage Suicide According to detectives, â€Å"Studies show that 90% of suicides are committed in the home† (Students for concealed, 2008). Since the legal age to own a concealed weapon is 21, most students at this age live off campus. This would not affect the numbers as much as the colleges think it would. If people really wanted to commit suicide, then nothing would stand in their way. Allowing them to conceal a gun will just give them an easier way out (Students for concealed, 2008). Conclusion During the Virginia Tech Shooting many lives could have been saved. Students could also feel safer knowing that they have something there to protect themselves and others if needed. Though students could turn to violence many are very responsible to be carrying this gun in the first place. They just cannot get a gun; they have to go through the process. Another concern would be suicide, but since most of the students live off campus anyway nothing would stop that. It would be a lost cause to put a ban on concealed weapons when there is nothing to prevent suicide in the first place. Once the right training classes are taken, it should not be a problem for a person to be able to carry his/her gun that he/she worked hard to get and paid for. The right to have a concealed weapon on campus should be expressed freely. References Barry, L. (2011). Liberty university oks concealed guns on campus. Retrieved from http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/nov/16/5/liberty-university-oks-concealed-guns-campus-ar-1463719/. Burnett, J. (2011). Texas Lawmakers aim for guns on college campuses. Retreieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/02/04/133466058/texas-lawmakers-aim-for-guns-on-college-campuses. Caruso, K. (n.d.). What Happened: The Virginia Tech Massacure. Retrieved from http://www.virginiatechmassacre.com/what-happened-virginia-tech-massacre.html. College Crime Today. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.womens-self-defense-instruction-online.com/college-crime.html. Concealed guns. (2011). Retrieved from http://concealedguns.procon.org/. Frantz, A. (2011). Texas considering concealed handguns on campus. Retrieved from http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/22/texas-weighing-concealed-handguns-on-campus/. Marin, J. (2012). Guns on college campuses. Retrieved from http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/03/guns-on-college -campuses/. Rearick, J. (2011). Intruders spark safety concerns. Retrieved from http://www.miscellanynews.com/2.1576/intruders-spark-safety-concerns-1.2660011#.TxkPxJit-fQ. Students for concealed carry on campus. (2008). Retrieved

Healthcare and Public Health Critical Infrastructure Sector

Healthcare and Public Health Critical Infrastructure Sector In order to optimize the security and resilience of the countries critical infrastructure, it is essential for a concerted approach that integrates all relevant partners and stakeholders. The healthcare and public health sector are crucial partners towards this end. The continuity of healthcare operations in times of emergency is quintessential. They role is disaster response and response makes them an asset and elevates their importance to national security beyond mere stakeholder status. The necessity for a sector-specific plan that optimizes the relationship between the players in the healthcare and public health industry and liaising with the department of homeland security has become vital. In the contemporary society, threats to the countries critical infrastructure have evolved diversifying into digital and biological platforms. The Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector-Specific Plan (SSP) is created to champion cross-sector effort sector and collaboration towards enhancin g security and resilience of the industries critical infrastructure covering all hazards. The guidance of the SSP is meant to customize the guidance to be relevant to the applicable industry players. This entails ensuring the strategic guidance is compatible with the risk landscape and unique operating landscape of the healthcare and public health sector. The above prevents the sector layers from expending energy on extraneous factors. The National Infrastructure Protection Plan 2013 has been instrumental towards that end. The sector has formulated an integrated approach to managing the risks to industrys critical infrastructure and corresponding workforce. The approach involves identification and preparation for the potential threats as well as hazards. Preparedness assumes that the all hazard risks are always imminent. In order to consider all dimensions of attack, the cross-sector councils are allowed to leverage simulation technology to visualize the full range of consequences in the instance of a biological attack (Almklov Antonsen, 2014). The SSP has proved innovative in its approach even utilizing potential risk scenarios inspired by films. The above is important given the last terrorist attack was attributed to a lapse in the imagination. Another strategy employed towards anticipating the above eventuality is mitigating weaknesses identified in the HPH critical infrastructure, its networks, and systems. Once the vulnerabilities are highlighted, ad hoc strategic plans to fix them are recommended lest they expand. The critical infrastructure within the purview of the healthcare and public health extends beyond the internal assets (Wulff, Donato Lurie, 2015). Even out of a sector, dependencies such as are with within their logistic and supply chain that can be exploited and other interdependencies are areas of interest. In order to optimize continuity, the approach posits adapting to the dynamic industry externalities to increase resilience faster disruptions owing to emergencies regardless their cause. The approach strives to reduce the potential impact of these eventualities and timely restoration of the critical infrastructure to optimal functioning. To ensure the efficiency of the approach optimization of public-private partnership and collaborative risk management becomes necessary. The goals and objectives of the stakeholders of the industry should be aligned from the onset and a free flow of information towards that end should be facilitated. The HPH Sector objectives from its vision, mission, and goals are validated in policy. It follows that policy impediments in the national arena and within the sector should be addressed promptly (Homeland Security, 2016). Apart from the policy, the guiding principles of the sector are formulated after consideration of multiple factors ranging from the current progress in risk mitigation, the available resources, identified capability gaps, emerging risks and the prevalent risk management priorities. These objectives are utilized to coordinate the collective operations within the sector. They reflect considerations of not only the HPH sub-sector but also the regional, local public and private partners. Efforts to mobilize public-private partnership support needs of HPH critical infrastructure are underway. The local, territorial, tribal, and federal government partners are not only involved in the conversation but their input is solicited during decision-making to increase their stake s in the outcome of the approach. The Sector Partnership Mission towards increasing the health sectors resilience aims to sustain the vital functions of the United States healthcare and public health delivery system. Similarly, it endeavors to espouse effective emergency preparedness and subsequent response to nationwide major hazards. Public and private sector partners are instrumental in evaluating risks; lobbying fro policy changes, coordinate plans, and provision of guidance towards preventing, protecting, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from all hazards threatening the HPH critical infrastructure.   The key sector-specific goals strive to manage the identified risks the vulnerabilities and potential consequences of disruptions. The risk management is the second step of the approach by translating the analyses of the sector into implementable recommendations for local and state public health departments as well as private sector facilities (Katina, Pinto, Bradley, Hester, 2014). The recommendations should be actionable and customized to the issues facing the respective institutions. The risk analyses should be translated into response and recovery efforts. To facilitate information sharing new mechanism as well as existing ones should be harness ensure the free flow of information. The flow implies it is bidirectional; each partner and stakeholders should give and receive information. Similarly, the government and the private sector should emulate best practices from each other. The sector goals should strive to develop and implement partnership engagement strategies to strengthen coordination. This will increase facilitate outreach efforts by reducing relationship constraints (May Koski, 2013). The operators and owners of the critical infrastructure should be acquainted with the behavioral patterns of their counterparts. The strengthening the relationships expedites the speed of information sharing and subsequent response time. The partnerships should be convenient by concentrating on the regional, local networks towards a national preparedness (Moteff, 2010). The purview of the sector specific plan involves also the cyber security attacks. The above would cripple technologically dependent networks like transport and even directly affect the health data framework. During response and recovery, the sector should be able to learn from past attacks and enact effective corrective measures (Perakslis, 2014). While seeking innovating strategies of increasing response speeds after disasters, it is equally essential to leverage past mishaps. The U.S. De partment of Health and Human Services (HHS) working in tandem with other industry players be required to evaluate their sectors milestones towards implementing recommendations.   An aggressive awareness campaign among the industry stakeholders to reiterate the essence of their input is required. The entire critical infrastructure community regardless their size their counsel should be considered (Solanas et al., 2014). The new approach as recognized that the vulnerabilities arise from the assets that are underestimated as insignificant, the specific sector focus is hinged on attention to detail. Beyond the traditional partners federal departments international partners and private sector owners even the perspective of an actual health practitioner has been given premium. The critical infrastructure workforce is strategic in identifying industry and system dysfunctionalities than an outsider (Therrien, Normandin Denis, 2017). The nonprofit sector has been instrumental in the post consequence period adding in the expediting resilience. The NGO has a close and sustainable relationship with the healthcare and public health industry as often their relief services compliment the sectors goals. The specific sector plan acts as a store for information and a centralized location where all the relevant stakeholders can access the data they require optimizing resilience and straightening their collaborative efforts (Torchia, Calabrà ² Morner, 2015). The interdependence of sectors in contemporary society implies that a catastrophe affecting the health sector will cripple the other accompanying infrastructure like transport. For instance, an airborne disease outbreak will inhibit mobility in public transport platforms. It follows that the public becomes a crucial stakeholder thus the need to facilitate access to non-critical information of resilience programs through the specific sector plan. The HPH Sectors critical infrastructure and its corresponding factors operate in a dynamic and increasingly complex setting. The shifting goal posts due to technological innovations and political changes may lead to confusion in managing the professional workforce, the systems, and assets, systems, and professional workforce operates in a highly complex and dynamic risk environment. For instance, the political changes have repealed the patient protection act causes the entire industry to adjust to new realities. Similarly, the changes in the climate have increased the frequency of naturally occurring threats though one can argue they there are artificially induced. The size of the sector and the interconnections of its networks further aggravate the situation. The open access to a majority of health facilities, physical facilities, operations, and system interconnections make the sector innately vulnerable. Towards strengthening preventative measure in the risk-prone environment, col laboration between government and the HHP sector becomes crucial. The sector has to capitalize on the vast resources at its disposal ranging from digital capabilities, consultancy resources, and other diverse authorities. The success of a program is attached to the proponents capabilities to harness wide spectrum of resources. Information sharing is not an option but the premise of the program. As the treats as constantly evolving, the sector should be equally flexible accommodating updates, and reprioritization of risk managements strategies towards optimizing security. The sector leadership should periodically evaluate the progress in implementing the recommendations in order to identify their shortcomings. References Almklov, P. G., Antonsen, S. (2014). Making work invisible: new public management and operational work in critical infrastructure sectors. Public Administration, 92(2), 477-492. Homeland Security, (2016). Healthcare and Public Health Sector-Specific Plan. Washington, D.C: Department of Homeland Security. Katina, P. F., Pinto, C. A., Bradley, J. M., Hester, P. T. (2014). Interdependency-induced risk with applications to healthcare. International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 7(1), 12-26. May, P. J., Koski, C. (2013). Addressing public risks: Extreme events and critical infrastructures. Review of Policy Research, 30(2), 139-159. Moteff, J. D. (2010). Critical infrastructures: Background, policy, and implementation. DIANE Publishing. Perakslis, E. D. (2014). Cybersecurity in health care. The New England journal of medicine, 371(5), 395. Solanas, A., Patsakis, C., Conti, M., Vlachos, I. S., Ramos, V., Falcone, F. Martinez-Balleste, A. (2014). Smart health: a context-aware health paradigm within smart cities. IEEE Communications Magazine, 52(8), 74-81. Therrien, M. C., Normandin, J. M. Denis, J. L. (2017). Bridging complexity theory and resilience to develop surge capacity in health systems. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 31(1). Torchia, M., Calabrà ², A., Morner, M. (2015). Public-private partnerships in the health care sector: A systematic review of the literature. Public Management Review, 17(2), 236-261. Wulff, K., Donato, D., Lurie, N. (2015). What is health resilience and how can we build it? Annual review of public health, 36, 361-374.

Forming Public Policy on AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa :: essays research papers

Jarrod Stafford Government 9 A.M. Forming Public Policy on AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa Strengths of Current Policy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  15 billion dollars of aid over 5 years †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bring African AIDS epidemic to forefront †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dispersing resources quickly †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using new approaches and leadership model †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employing evidence-based decisions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Demanding accountability for results  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weaknesses of Current Policy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not attacking root causes of problem †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Waited many years to act effectively Opportunities †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug testing †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug market †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Showing long term good will around world †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase influence in government and economy. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case study for HIV/AIDS  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Threats †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase spread of HIV/AIDS throughout world †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compound economic and societal problems such as starvation, lack of education, and poverty †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reduce the ability of the government to handle the rising social structure dilemmas and healthcare costs †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exacerbate regional and ethnic tensions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further strain on economy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discourage foreign investment and tourism The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a horrific plight affecting every country in the world. HIV stands for 'human immunodeficiency virus'. HIV is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system and destroys or impairs their function. AIDS stands for 'acquired immunodeficiency syndrome' and describes the collection of symptoms and infections associated with acquired deficiency of the immune system. At the end of 2004, 39.4 million people worldwide were estimated to be infected . No other area has been hit harder than the Sub-Sahara Africa region. Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV—some 25.4 million . Africa’s AIDS challenge is a multifaceted problem which requires a unique, flexible, and multipronged approach. Education, prevention, and treatment are a necessary start but the United States must look deeper in order to effectively and properly help the communities of Sub-Saharan Africa. Current US policy under President George W. Bush is a massive change to previous policy. It commits 15 billion dollars of aid over a five year period. It is supposed to get resources to the frontlines of this battle quite quickly, use new approaches and a new leadership model. It is described to employ evidence-based decisions and demand accountability for results as well. The world must pray that the enemy has not grown too efficient in the 14 years since it has been identified. It does lack a focus on key issues that are at the root of the problem. AIDS, as are many diseases, is spread rapidly in areas of poverty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many threats and even a few opportunities relating to HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Left unchecked this situation would most definitely spill over and increase the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS through out the world.

Littleton :: essays research papers

It seems for the past week or so, the entire world (yes, world, when I was in Spain they showed news coverage of this 24/7 too) has been shaken up by the school shootings in Littleton, CO (I think thats the name of the town, though don't hold me to that). What amazes me about this story is not the fact that two people went into a school and shot a bunch of people (apparently this is the seventh in-school multiple homicide in teh past 18 months), its the fact that the media has given extensive coverage this, and has exploited it for all its worth. I suppose with the impeachment trial over and done with, and the only thing remaining of that issue is a few jokes, the media needs something new to pounce on and make a dollar off of. And they have done just that. Everywhere I turn someone is talking about how terrible this tragedy is. Don't get me wrong, I think the senseless killing of people, which is pretty much what happened in this case, is wrong. The two boys who did this probably wa nted to kill themselves, and figured they'd make as big of an exit as possible, and in doing that, they have succeeded. Thats not the thing that really bothers me though, its the fact that a nation like America (and other nations too, most of my knowledge of what happened came from a British paper) can exploit something like this, and the masses can swallow it up. But I suppose it makes good news. Who is the sicker person in this case? The nazi boy who goes into a school, kills about ten people or so, or the average American who buys the newspaper with the headline of "NEO NAZI MASSACRES INNOCENT TEENS IN SCHOOL"? The boys who did this knew very well that if they were to pull off something like this, they would have the entire country (and others) all wrapped up in it. If they seriously wanted to kill people, and nothing else, they would have just blown up the entire school with everyone in it. But they didn't, and they have gotten everyone all caught up in the story. I've seen it described as "one of the worst tragedies in history". The people that make those statements have swallowed this lie hook, line, and sinker.

Technology in the film Tron Essay -- Film Movie Tron Technology Essays

Technology in the film Tron Introduction The purpose of my project is to discover how technology is represented within the film Tron. To answer this research question, I viewed and analyzed the movie and incorporated information from the text and various websites. While studying this film, I took into consideration factors such as images and language used, how technology is related to society, and what symbols the creator used to convey certain qualities of technology. In this research paper, I will begin by explaining the significance of this project and my areas of research. I will then relay the focus of my investigation, the methods I employed to gain my research, analyze the film, and discuss the implications of my analysis. I will conclude with a summary of the main points. Rationale and focus A film such as Tron, with a plot that centers on science and technology, is an important artifact to study because it demonstrates our capabilities and understandings of technology in 1982, when the film was released. It also illuminates societal views of technology in the 1980s, and possible debates over proper uses of technology. It serves as an example of the manner in which technology was communicated to the public at that particular time. In my Rhetoric and Public Life class I learned that artifacts such as Tron are part of our social construction of reality. I have learned that popular culture and the film influence each other. I now have an overall understanding of how technology was represented in the movie. I first prepared for this project by researching the movie on the Internet. I found that Tron has several websites dedicated to it, one of which is maintained by a fan named Guy Gordon. From this si... ... symbols the creator used to convey certain qualities of technology, I discovered that technology is represented in this movie as a threat to society. By incorporating course concepts, I realize that people often have this reaction when encountering a new medium. I have also learned that there are many benefits, as well as drawbacks to this medium, but it is neither the destroyer of civilization nor the savior of impending doom. It is important to understand how it fits into our lives. References Adams, Tyrone and Clark, Norman, (2001). The Internet: Effective Online Communication. Harcourt College Publishers. Gordon, Guy, (2002). The Tron Page. Retrieved February 20, 2002 from the World Wide Web: www.Tron-movie.com. Mcoran-Campbell, Adrian, Tron. The Unorthodox Reel. Retrieved March 26, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.un-reel.co.uk/Tron.htm.

Character Study of Shylock and Portia in Merchant of Venice

Character Study of Shylock and our feelings for him as the play progresses 1) He is seen as a mercenary money-lender approached by Bassoon for the loan of 3000 ducats with Antonio as the guarantor. The money is to finance Bassoon on his trip to Belmont to woo Portal whom he Is In love with. He keeps debating on whether he should lend the money. Even when Antonio is a â€Å"good† man meaning he is financially sound, yet his money is invested in goods which are in ships overseas. Therefore, his ventures are risky.How do you feel about Shylock here? Are you uncomfortable that he places so much Importance on money? ) Shylock is portrayed as a villain when he displays his unforgiving and vengeful nature. He has a deep-seated hatred for Antonio. He says,†Cursed be my tribe If I forgive him! † Shylock Is a villain here to say that he hates Antonio so much that he could swear on the name of his tribe. 3) Shylock Is crafty and pretentious. To exact his revenge, he tricks An tonio to sign a bond In return for the loan of 3000 ducats to help Bassoon.He uses words like a bond signed â€Å"in a merry sport† and â€Å"This is kind offer. † He agrees not to charge interest but prefers a pound of Notation's flesh if Antonio is not able to repay the loan. He pretends that he is not serious about the pound of flesh by saying: â€Å"If he should break his day, what should I gain By the exaction of his forfeiture? ‘ Shylock goes on to buy his favor I extend this friendship. † Antonio, being confident about the return of his investments in ships agrees to the terms of the bond. Do you see more of the villain in Shylock here?How are your feelings for Shylock here? Do you dislike him for being a schemer, for being so crafty yet so good at pretending to be friendly? Moreover, how are your feelings for him intensified at the Trial Scene when he insists n nothing but the forfeit of his bond even when Bassoon Is ready to pay him thrice the amo unt of money as stated in the bond? Do you see the villain at his worst here? Earlier on, Shylock is seen sharpening his knife to cut the flesh of Antonio and Bassoon gets so worked up that he calls Shylock a â€Å"damned, inexorable dog'.Do you feel so disgusted with Shylock at this stage as to hate him for being so cruel as to want a pound of flesh from a fellow human being? In other words, he wants Antonio dead. Quote the relevant lines spoken by Shylock from the scene and what he does to cause you to feel disgusted and even hate Shylock. 4) Yet, In some ways, Shylock Is also seen as a victim when he recounts the unkind way Antonio has treated him, does Shylock pose himself to be a victim? In Notation's favor, do you think Shylock is now a sympathetic character and deserves some pity from us?Describe how the events have turned against Shylock. Do you see him a victim here? 1)Since Shylock has attempted to take Notation's life, Antonio has the power to seize half of Shylock wealt h, while the rest of the possessions will be handed over to the state treasury. ) Shylock will be condemned to death unless the Duke officially cancels the punishment. 3) Shylock is told to fall on his knees and beg for mercy. This is a blow for someone who has so much pride in his own nation, calling his own nation â€Å"sacred†. He has lost all the dignity he had. 4)Shylock has nothing left for himself.He has lost his entire wealth and would rather die. He says: muff take my life When you take the means whereby I live. † The Duke says that the half of his possessions which should go to the state can be reduced too fine if Shylock is truly repentant. 5) Antonio adds that the fine can be polished but the half of Shylock possessions which should go to Antonio will be kept by Antonio until the death of Shylock on two conditions: 6) Shylock has to become a Christian, a religion he detests. Professing a religion should be a personal choice but he is now forced to become a C hristian. ) and the money kept by Antonio will be handed over to Lorenz who has eloped with Shylock daughter. 8) Shylock has been so smug at the Trial before the events turned against him. He has been so confident but suddenly he has become the victim of his own scheme. 9) He is alone with no one to help him. Antonio has his group of friends to support him and Portia who has come forward to help him for the sake of Bassoon. 10) Shylock is so shattered that he begs to be excused saying that he is not well. How do you feel for Shylock here? Are you sorry that he has to end this way? Has he been victimized?Character Study of Portia and our impressions of her We are told by Bassoon that Portia is a lady of â€Å"wondrous virtues†. This is all that we know of her in this scene until she presides the case between Antonio and Shylock concerning the pound of Notation's flesh that Shylock insists is legally binding and so e must have it. 1) In the Trial scene, we first see Portia (dis guised as Blather, a learned Doctor of Laws) as a gentle person who wants to settle the case in a harmonious manner and so she appeals to Shylock to show mercy towards Antonio with her eloquent speech on mercy.She touches on these aspects of mercy: a) Mercy cannot be forced and has twice the blessings. It blesses the giver as well as the receiver. Therefore, Shylock will be blessed if he shows mercy. She is hoping that Shylock will be merciful after listening to this. B) Mercy is greater than sovereignty. It is a quality shown by God. Therefore, Shylock will exhibit a godly quality when he shows mercy while he executes Justice. Portia appeals to Shylock to be merciful because if God had only acted Justly without pray for God to show us mercy, that same prayer also teaches us to show mercy to others.Portia says these words in the hope of softening Shylock hardened heart and for him to moderate his insistence on Justice, which is to demand a pound of Notation's flesh as stipulated by the bond, with a show of mercy and to spare Antonio. 2) Portia is Just and will act strictly according to the law. When Bassoon offers to pay twice the sum saying: â€Å"l will be bound to pay it ten times o'er On forfeit of my hands, my head, my heart. † Bassoon even tells Portia to tweak the law Just this once to stop the Jew from his evil doing.Yet, Portia maintains that there is no power in Venice that can alter the law. She does this to show that while she is out to help Antonio, she will not break the law and be criticized for her actions. 3) Portia is patient and perseveres to get Shylock to relent by offering him money. She gives Shylock one last chance to change his mind. She says: â€Å"Shylock, there's thrice the money offered thee. † However, Shylock insists that he has made an oath in heaven and will not want to be guilty of perjury or false swearing.Again, Portia appeals to Shylock to take thrice the amount of money and bid her to tear the bond ?†Ta ke thrice the money; bid me tear the bond. † 4) She is persistent in wanting to help Antonio and so comes up with an ingenious idea. Portia quibbles on the very words used in the bond to make Shylock become the victim of his own evil scheme Since Shylock insists on nothing but the bond, he will eave exactly that. Portia reminds Shylock that â€Å"the words expressly' are ‘a pound of flesh'. Shylock is to cut exactly one pound of flesh, no more or less.Next, there is no mention of blood?†no Jot of blood†. If he does shed one drop of Christian blood, his land and goods are to be confiscated by the state of Venice according to the laws of Venice. Portia adds: â€Å"The Jew shall have all Justice†¦ He shall have nothing but the penalty. † Being trapped by the words of the bond, Shylock asks for thrice the amount of the money as stated in the bond. ) Once she is able to get Shylock at a disadvantage, she goes all out to accomplish her mission of helpi ng Antonio. Now, it is time for Portia not to relent.She says Shylock will have nothing but Justice and his bond. Shylock then asks for â€Å"barely my principal† but Portrait's reply is that he will â€Å"have nothing but the forfeiture†. Moreover, Shylock has put himself into the power of the law in yet another way. It is stated in one of the laws of Venice that if a foreigner should attempt to take the life of a citizen , then the party whom he is scheming against has the power to seize half of he offender's wealth and the rest will be handed over to the state's private treasury.The offender is to be condemned to death unless the Duke reprieves (officially cancels the punishment) him. Shylock has attempted to take Notation's life so he has incurred the punishment that is Just mentioned. Portia tells Shylock to get down on his knees and beg for mercy. Disguise as Blather, a learned Doctor of Laws, to fool everyone in court. Not even Bassoon, her own husband is able t o recognizes her in court. She carried out her duties with dignity, starting with her eloquent speech, in the hope of moving Shylock o show sympathy towards Antonio.Even when Shylock refuses to be merciful, she does not give up but goes on to offer him money so that he will cancel the bond. However, when this fails to change Shylock mind, she becomes relentless with her ingenious idea of quibbling with the very words used in the bond, and so makes Shylock a victim of his own evil scheme. We are impressed by her intelligence and the way she handled the case so well that Shylock becomes cornered and cannot complain that she is ruthless because she is giving him exactly what he wants as stated in the bond!

Hitler’s foreign policy successes between 1936 and 1939 Essay

â€Å"Hitler’s foreign policy successes between 1936 and 1939 rested on his remarkable tactical skills and ability to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses?† Discuss this view. Many of Hitler’s foreign policy aims had been recorded since the publication of â€Å"Mein Kampf†, but none of his plans had any time scale to them. His only concept of time appeared to be that he wanted war by 1942, in fear of an arms race with the likes of Britain and France, resulting in Germany no longer holding the upper hand – also, he was under the impression that he would face his own death close to this time. It appears that, despite his aims having been set in stone for many years, Hitler was quite an opportunist, grabbing at fortunate circumstances rather than planning. Very little tactical skill or exploitation appeared to go into any of his actions (with minor exceptions); he just appeared to assume that most things would work out to his expectations regardless. Luckily for Hitler, this often appeared to be this case – but rarely via the means which he intended. A long running aim of Hitler’s was to overturn the Treaty of Versailles, of which the first step was made towards by the reoccupation and militarisation of the Rhineland. The Rhineland was France’s greatest barrier between itself and the German threat, and so it would be fair to assume that they would be far more than just keen to retain its demilitarised state. However, when France signed the Franco-Soviet pact, Hitler deemed that it had broken the Locarno treaty, and so used this as reasoning to reoccupy the Rhineland. The reoccupation in itself was a huge gamble – the German army was still notably weak at this point, and any opposition from France would result in them having to withdraw immediately. Nonetheless, Hitler disregarded the opinion of his generals (all of whom were opposed to the move), and ordered German forces into the Rhineland on 7th March, 1936, to be met by no opposition whatsoever. There was a small amount of protest from Britain and France, but as Hitler had presumed, they were unwilling to take any real action against him. France was war weary; Britain was suffering economically and concerned with the defence of their empire in the east. Hitler had further reason for believing this move would be a successful one. Little action had been taken by the League of Nations at Manchuria in 1931, and they were unlikely to taken any at this point either; also, Germany now benefited from friendly relations with Italy, following Hitler’s support for the invasion of Abyssinia. Appeasement on Britain’s part had also played a roll in convincing Hitler his actions were achievable. The 1935 Anglo-German naval agreement had effectively broken the Stresa front, showing him that he could successfully push boundaries. Although all these moves came down to being a series of fortunate circumstances (except good relations with Italy – something Hitler had long strived for), a small amount of skill went into this move. Hitler aimed to isolate France (namely by deny it of its allies) to make many of his aims simpler, and started to do so by achieving the German-Polish non aggression pact. This broke the little entente, and began to drive a wedge into Europe. This aside however, the reoccupation of the Rhineland was a minimally planned gamble, and by no means a show of neither skill nor exploitation. On 5th November 1937, a secret meeting took place at the Reichstag chancellery in Berlin, the minutes of which would come to be known as the Hossbach Memorandum. It was here that Hitler outlined his more drastic future foreign policy aims (including plans for expansion into Eastern Europe), and the strategies by which he would achieve them. It stated his desire to annex Austria and to crush Czechoslovakia, and the need for war within the next six years, to avoid an arms race with two â€Å"hate inspired antagonists† – Britain and France. His strategy for moving into east Europe was via a series of small wars to benefit the German economy – which, in it’s strive for autarky, was overheating and struggling. It was a radical move at the time – Hitler’s previous actions had been hidden under a veil of nationalism, and were never outwardly â€Å"Nazi†. However, there was no real plan. There may well have been a strategy – that being, the series of small wars – but no real time scale or method. It would appear that Hitler, as with the reoccupation of the Rhineland, was intending to grab at opportunities as they arose, rather than tactically planning his actions. Hitler’s next territorial move was to achieve the annexation of Austria. This had already been once attempted in 1934, but failed and left bad relations with Italy, and Hitler had denied all involvement. Regardless, the second attempt of Anschluss was barely planned, and its success was owed greatly to the improvisations offered by Herman Goering. Due to the disruption being caused by Austrian Nazis, Chancellor Schuschnigg requested a meeting with Hitler. Seizing the opportunity before him, Hitler took the chance to bully Schuschnigg, who emerged from the meeting with more Nazis being allowed into to parliament, the freedom of Nazi prisoners and Seyss-Inquart as interior minister – quite the opposite to what he had intended to achieve. It would seem that Hitler, rather than exploiting a weakness, had instead created one in his opponent. At this point, it appeared to Hitler that Germany may well be able to hold dominance over Austria without even the need for an official annexation. However, to his anger, Schuschnigg called for a referendum upon his return to Austria, in which he asked the people to â€Å"affirm their support for Austrian impendence†. Allowing this referendum to take place could have spelt bad news for the possibility of Anschluss – a negative result on Hitler’s part would make it far more difficult to achieve the union. As the referendum was so unexpected, there was no plan from this point onwards. Hitler began to exert pressure through right-wing Austrian parliament members, demanding that the referendum be cancelled and that Seyss-Inquart replace Schuschnigg as Chancellor. From here on however, Herman Goering became the â€Å"man of the hour†. He threatened President Miklas with German invasion unless Schuschnigg was allowed to resign (which, under pressure, he did), and also dictated a telegram from Seyss-Inquart, inviting the German army to enter Austria to â€Å"preserve law and order†. Consequently, German troops entered Austria on 12th March 1938. Evidently, little skill was played by Hitler here – had it not been for Goering’s intervention, Hitler and his lack of plan may have been faced with another failed Anschluss. Hitler merely assumed no action would be taken against him by the western allies, for much the same reasons with the Rhineland, and it would be fair to assume that he had expected Schuschnigg to simply give in to his demands. In this situation, Goering was the one displaying tactical skill, and not Hitler. Following the fortunate success of Anschluss, Hitler was encouraged to push forwards to Czechoslovakia. His first aim was the predominately German speaking Sudetenland, which he hoped to seize by means of a small war. He was to be faced by Neville Chamberlain and his policy of appeasement however, with whom he met on 15th September 1938, at Berteschgaden. Here, Hitler demanded the swift takeover of the Sudetenland, with threat of military action. No visible plan from Hitler here – it appears that he hoped to gain what he desired by threats and pressure. Following discussions between Britain and France, it was agreed that areas of over 50% German population within the Sudetenland would be handed over to Hitler, without so much as the formality of a plebiscite. Seeing that he had the upper hand, and knowing that Britain and France were reluctant to go to war (particularly over Czechoslovakia), Hitler rejected this agreement at his second meeting with Chamberlain on 22nd September 1938, on the grounds that it â€Å"would take too long to implement†. Instead, he demanded that the German army be able to occupy the Sudetenland within 2 days (claiming that the Czechs were slaughtering Sudeten Germans), and that the Czechs met the territorial demands of Poland and Hungary. Benes rejected these demands, and rebelled against Anglo-French pressure, ordering military mobilisation. On 26th September, Hitler gave the Czechs 24 hours to agree to hand over the Sudetenland before 1st October. The situation at this point looked as though war was on the horizon. Although this was what Hitler had wanted, he had only wanted a local war with Czechoslovakia – not a continental one. Still set on avoiding war, Chamberlain asked Mussolini to arrange another meeting with Hitler. The meeting was held at Munich, between Hitler, Daladier, Chamberlain and Mussolini, where it was agreed that Germany military occupation of the Sudetenland would be phased over 1st-10th October. The Czechs were told to accept these agreements or fight alone. It would seem Hitler had a lot of thanks to give to Chamberlain and his policy of appeasement. Had he not been faced with this, Hitler would have sent German forces into the Sudetenland with minimal planning or direction. France had military ties with Czechoslovakia, as did Russia (which came into effect only if the French honoured their commitments); although the likelihood of France taking any action was unlikely, it was not impossible, and Hitler may well have been faced countless other forms of opposition. Besides, Chamberlain had handed him exactly what he desired on a silver platter anyway – and in turn, left open a gateway to the rest of a somewhat defenceless Czechoslovakia. Although this was a great foreign policy success for Hitler, there was practically no means for him to exert neither tactical skill nor exploitation anyway. As ever, he gained exactly what he had set out for; just through unexpected means. Despite a weak agreement made at Munich to respect the territorial integrity of what was left of Czechoslovakia, Hitler made military plans for an attack on its remains within days of the agreement. He encouraged Poland, Hungary and Romania to demand territory from Czechoslovakia, and the Slovaks to demand autonomy. In February 1939, Hitler met with the Slovak leader Bela Tuka, telling him to demand complete separation from Czechoslovakia. President Hacha responded by declaring martial war to try to prevent the break-up, but Hitler retaliated with demands that Slovakia declare it’s independence, or it would be taken over by Hungary. The Slovak government complied and, in desperation, Hacha visited Hitler seeking help to retain the remnants of a broken Czechoslovakia. Wasting no opportunity, Hitler demanded for Czechoslovakia be split; a number of hours later, Hacha gave into the demands. On 15th March, German troops marched on Prague, and Bohemia-Moravia became a German protectorate. The following day, Slovakia asked for German protection, leading to it becoming a satellite state. Although a situation which was somewhat handed to him as a result of the Munich agreement, some degree of tactical skill was evidently used in bringing down the rest of Czechoslovakia. As a country of various nationalities, Hitler could see an opportunity to create a great divide amongst them, and used this to his advantage. Knowing Hacha wanted to preserve what of Czechoslovakia he could, Hitler exploited him by offering him only the options of German attack or to hand over Bohemia-Moravia. In addition to this, Slovakia was left in such a state of disruption anyway that it became under heavily German influence. For once, Hitler had used his own skill to gain territory, and did so without a single shot being fired and barely any opposition. Poland was next on Hitler’s territorial hit list, but it was unlikely to come as easily as his previous gains. Following the fall of Prague, there had been a change in mood from the west towards Hitler – he could no longer be trusted. No longer would his desires be handed to him; tactical skill was needed if Poland were to be successfully claimed. Ribbentrop had already attempted to negotiate a deal with the Poles by offering them guarantees of their borders and the possibility of gains in the Soviet Ukraine if they were to give up Danzig; however, fearful of Soviet response, the Polish government did not want to become involved in such a deal with Germany. In January 1939, Hitler met with Beck, the Polish foreign minister, where he added a demand for a German road/rail link across the Polish Corridor. To Hitler’s surprise, the Poles refused the demand, as they were unwilling to become a German satellite state – British and French guarantees of support had made the Poles less inclined give in to German pressure at the expense of their independence. Around spring of 1939 however, it was becoming clear to Hitler that defensive action against Poland needed to be taken. Diplomatic bridges were formed with Bulgaria, Hungary and Yugoslavia, whilst non-aggression pacts were signed with Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. This was Hitler’s means of preparing for war with Poland, which was extended by the surprising Nazi-Soviet pact, of 23rd August 1939, forged by Ribbentrop. As ideological enemies, it was an unlikely move, but one that Hitler saw advantage to. Both countries had lost lands to Poland following WW1, and uniting would provide a huge threat to Poland on both fronts, and, in Hitler’s eyes, it isolated Poland from her allies (as he assumed Britain and France would not commit to their guarantees). The pact itself agreed that for the next 10 years, they would remain neutral if the other attacked a third party, and also contained a secret protocol, providing for the partition of Poland and creating Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence in eastern Europe. To Hitler, this had all been a great success – not only was he in a great for the invasion of Poland, but also for the invasion of Russia later on. German troops entered Poland on 1st September 1939, and to Hitler’s dismay, Britain and France declared war on 3rd September. The road leading up to the invasion of Poland shows that Hitler could put tactical skill and exploitation to good use when required. Forging relations with the Baltic republics and small east European nations left Poland with little to no German opposition surrounding it, but Ribbentrops Nazi-Soviet pact was by far the most effective tactic against Poland. It allowed both a great offensive against Poland, and a pathway to the invasion of Russia in the future. As with the Anschluss of 1938, this was a great success in foreign policy – but not, for the most part, thanks to himself. It is clear to see that Hitler’s foreign policy success rarely laid thanks to his own skill, exploitation or tactful planning, particularly prior to the fall of Prague. Although these feats would unlikely have been achievable without any display of skill, Hitler was very fortunate that the situations around him played well into his hands, such as Britain’s insistence on appeasement concerning the Sudeten crisis. Hitler also owed a lot of thanks to the likes of Ribbentrop and Goering, each who stepped in and allowed some of the successes to happen. The success of Hitler’s foreign policies between 1936 and 1939 did not rest on him at all – they merely benefited from his actions, the aid of those around him, and the situations which created them.