From Relative Isolation to Global Involvement Essay

At the time of the Spanish American War the United States went from relative isolation to increased global involvement because of 1. The spirit of the American people captured by the idea of the frontier and, 2. The belief it was the duty of America to maintain peace of all nations. The consequences of this increased global involvement on American Society was 3. The clashing views of the imperialist and anti-imperialist parties. America first took a step towards greater world involvement due to 1. The effects of the frontier on the American spirit. In 1893 Fredrick Jackson Turner delivered the idea of â€Å"The Significance of the Frontier in American History,† to a gathering of historians. According to Turner, the frontier was â€Å"the line of most rapid Americanization.†1 The idea of the frontier as explained by Turner looks at the constant movement westward by the European’s who came to America. It speaks of the time from the first arrival until the time when there is no longer a frontier line, and how the nation developed as the movement westward continued. â€Å"Little by little he transforms the wilderness, but the outcome is not the old Europe, not simply the development of Germanic germs, any more than the first phenomenon was a case of reversion to the Germanic mark. The fact is, that here is a new product that is American. At first, the frontier was the Atlantic coast. It was the frontier of Europe in a very real sense. Moving westward, the frontier became more and more American.†2 As the Americans ventured westward each new move past a frontier was developed on trials of the one before it. Whereas most of the time expansion would be met by other people whom have conquered that land, this was not the case for America, which provided it with a unique opportunity. It was then brought back to the primitive stage as each frontier was advanced upon, giving rise to new forms of government and institutions. The movement of the frontier until there no longer was a line was the main cause of Americanization as America quickly expanded and developed its own ideals apart from that of its mother nation. Americans quickly fell in love with the ideas that they had set in place and started to form imperialistic ideals that it should begin to expand its c ommercial interests elsewhere into the world. As American enjoyed continued expansion and development it was then led to greater world involvement due to 2. The belief that it was the duty of the American people to maintain peace in the world. As time progresses from the days of Washington’s presidency to the time of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency we see an important shift in the foreign policy of the United States. In Washington’s Farewell Address he warned of the involvement in foreign affairs stating, â€Å"†¦a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.†3 This was the common thought of the time and it was once again exemplified in the Monroe Doctrine d uring President Monroe’s annual message to the Congress in 1823. â€Å" In the wars of the European powers in matters relating to themselves we have never taken any part, nor does it comport with our policy to do so.†4 These thoughts of remaining neutral from partaking in foreign affairs remain forefront for the most part up until 1905 when Theodore Roosevelt made a Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. At this point in time we see the shift in American thinking that it is there duty as a nation to intervene on world affairs in a peaceful way as to promote the welfare of all. It also goes on to speak of how if other countries are not acting in a moral way that it would be the responsibility of the American people to intervene in the fashion of an international police. â€Å"Chronic wrongdoing, or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may in America, as elsewhere, ultimately require intervention by some civilized nation, and in the Western Hemisphere the adherence of the United States to the Monroe Doctrine may force the United States, however reluctantly, in flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to the exercise of an international police power.†5 These three important historic documents show the shifting foreign policy of America as a nation leading up to and shortly following the Spanish-American war. The consequence of this increased world involvement on the American society  was 3. The rising debate over imperialistic ideals and anti-imperialistic ideals. A major turning point in the ideals of American’s was the conquest of the Philippines. It was regrettably that McKinley was forced into war through exaggerated newspaper articles that caused much uproar in the American society and provided a final push towards the United States entering war with Spain. Following the war President McKinley was quoted as saying: â€Å"When I next realized that the Philippines had dropped into our laps I confess I did not know what to do with them†¦ And one night late it came to me this way†¦1) That we could not give them back to Spain- that would be cowardly and dishonorable; 2) that we could not turn them over to France and Germany-our commercial rivals in the Orient-that would be bad business and discreditable; 3) that we not leave them to themselves-they are unfit for self-government-and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain’s wars; and 4) that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died.†6 This caused much debate in the American society and while many agreed that it was the duty of the United States to do as McKinley said, others argued that this imperialistic way of acting was not at all in line with the foundations the country was built on. This was the start of the Anti-Imperialist League. The Anti-Imperialist League argued that â€Å"†¦imperialism is hostile to liberty and tends toward militarism, an evil from which it has been our glory to be free.†7 They believed that the imperialistic ideal was directly attacking the ideas that were the backbone of the nation for such a long time that it was a crime to believe in them and practice them. Although there was much debate over these topics, America continued onward with its expansion in the years to come.

Ethical Decision Making by Individuals Essay

Existing theoretical models of individual ethical decision making in organizations place little or no emphasis on characteristics of the ethical issue itself. This article (a) proposes an issue-contingent model containing a new set of variables called moral intensity: (b) using concepts, theory, and evidence derived largely from social psychology, argues that moral intensity influences every component of moral decision making and behavior: (c) offers four research propositions, and (d) discusses implications of the theory. Conclusions and Implications Existing theoretical models have ignored the effect of characteristics of the moral issue itself on ethical decision making and behavior in organizations. Taken at face value, these models suggest that individuals will decide and behave in the same manner regardless of the nature of the moral issue involved. An employee of a drug manufacturer would view the release of a dangerous drug by his or her firm with the same alarm (or lack of alarm) that he or she viewed the theft of a few diskettes from the company supply cabinet by a fellow employee. The issue-contingent model proposed here explicitly rejects this view and suggests that the moral intensity of the issue itself has a significant effect on moral decision making and behavior at all stages of the process. If this model is found to have empirical support, the testing of other models would be significantly affected. Controlling for issue traits would become an integral part of a meaningful test of Trevino’s (1986) person-situation interactionist model, for example; the relative importance of personal factors and situational factors might vary considerably, from issue to issue. Similarly, issue charucteristics could alter the balance of teleological and deontological considerations in the moral evaluation stage of Hunt and Vitell’s (1986) general theory model of marketing ethics. Perhaps the most important potential impact of an empirical finding that ethical decision making and behavior are issue contingent involves the applicability of the models themselves. Moral intensity is expected to play a major role in the recognition of moral issues and, hence, in the actual engagement of moral decision-making processes instead of, or in addition to, other decision-making schemata. Simply stated, the details of moral decision-making and behavior processes become irrelevant if the person does not recognize that he or she is dealing with a moral issue. Future models of ethical decision making should include some consideration of the effect of the moral agent’s failure to recognize the moral issue. Moral intensity is also relevant to the general applicability of Kohlberg’s (1976) theory of cognitive moral development. If moral development is issue contingent, as this article and some emerging empirical evidence suggest, then Kohlberg’s theory would have to be substantially revised, and much of the research based on it would have to be reappraised. Future research based on his developmental theory would have to control for traits of the moral issues involved. From a practical point of view, issue contingency is important to normative judgments of moral decisions and of the people who make them. Many of the elements of moral intensity (magnitude of consequences, probability of effect, temporal immediacy, and concentration of effect) are directly related to judgments of the importance of moral issues. If these elements of moral intensity are found to be positively linked to moral behavior, it can be concluded that people generally behave better when the moral issue is important than they do when it is unimportant. Regardless of a person’s views regarding the overall moral tenor of society or its alleged decline in recent years, he or she could easily be encouraged by the finding that people’s best moral behavior is inspired by issues of substantial importance.

Curiosity †Did God create the universe? Essay

The movie, â€Å"Curiosity – Did God create the universe?† really caught my attention. For the reason that the title speaks for the question that has been going on debate for ages itself. It is also well verse about how scientists cope up with this result, with this theory, and with this conclusion and on how they overcome various challenges and obstacles they have encountered by getting the answers to their questions. It also talks about how Steven Hawking unfolds his personal, compelling vision about this question which he referred as of the greatest mystery which science could once prove. I really found the movie quite intriguing because the argument between the church and to those of science hasn’t been cease though it has been going since I’ve far remembered. It is also very informative because I have learned many things about the persons behind this greatest discovery, lurking behind their shadows while knowing on what they did do to arrive with this theory. I am also amuse with this movie, it is not because I consider some people in the movie ignorant but because it is somewhat like a timeline; seeing and watching those proud scientist working and striving hard just to reach their goal. At the first part of the movie it talks about the Vikings, telling us a little knowledge of their mythology. On how do they consider the natural phenomena by which the moon comes between the earth and the sun, thus casting its shadows to the earth while covering the face of the sun? They thought that it was because one of their gods, Skuld, which who devours the sun. So they make some noise somewhat like a ritual to drove away Skuld’s anger and to let the sun appear again which we eventually know that it doesn’t makes sense. Later on, they introduce a philosopher who dated back ago around 300 B.C who came upon a realization that the earth was not the center of the solar system and concluded that it was the sun and it was only the planet together with its natural satellite, we call moon, orbits around it and also calling those lights in the sky while at night as somewhat like similar to our own sun but just really far away from us. I couldn’t think on how do this certain philosopher came up with this answer by just sitting and observing the night sky without anything at hand to prove his answers. The next one is Galileo Galilee, the one who discovered that there are some heavenly bodies which orbits a planet. Nights after nights he observes this Planet which was now known as Jupiter. He first observe 2 satellites orbiting this planet, after some time it became 3 and thus become 4 but there were also times that one of this satellite disappear or in other words hide beneath the shadow of the planet. Unfortunately because of his discovery, he was imprisoned for the reason that it contradicts the Church. He was first sentence in a death row but later on it was lowered to a 9 years imprisonment. Though he asks forgiveness to the church but he still insisted that those satellites really do move and orbits around Jupiter. His works was then pursued by Albert Einstein, which formulated the formula E = MC ². According to Steven Hawking, there were only 3 things or ingredients to make a universe. The first one is Matter, anything that occupies space and has a mass. The second one is Energy, it is found around us. And the last one is Space. But for Einstein, this was only his basis. He did found out that Matter and Energy was somewhat like similar and thus he formulated the formula E = MC ². Summing up all this studies, Scientist came up with the Big Bang Theory. It was said that this theory consume matter and if it explodes it releases energy towards the space and thus created the universe. But the question is, before it explodes who or what thing triggered this event? For them there was no such thing as a trigger because relating to the sub-particles of an atom, protons and neutrons just appear from nothing. Hence they conclude that there was no time for a creator or a time for a creator to exist. For me this was big statement for the scientist to hold for it does contradict the church itself. Denying the fact for a creator to exist.

The place of the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty in the Assignment

The place of the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty in the government of the United Kingdom has changed in recent years and - Assignment Example This concept consists of two cardinal principles. First, Parliament has the power to make or annul any law irrespective of its nature. Second, no other agency, entity, or person has the power or right to override or annul the statutes made by Parliament (Warren, 2008, p. 3). In Britain, the sovereignty of Parliament has been reviewed in domestic and international contexts. As a member of the European Union, Britain had to permit the incursion of the laws of the European Council. This required Britain to review its domestic laws, on a regular basis, so as to ensure that they were compatible with the European Council (EC) law and Britain’s international obligations (Ginsburg, 2003, p. 3). As a result of these developments, the national courts in Britain have to interpret domestic law in the light of EC law. An important constituent of the common law is the fundamental tenet of legislative supremacy. Nevertheless, it would be erroneous to describe it as being inviolable. In fact, there are a number of precedents that inexorably establish that legislative supremacy can be altered by judicial decisions and Acts of Parliament. Consequently, it is imprudent to vehemently assert the supremacy of Parliament (Bradley & Ewing, 2007, p. 78). The inexorable incursions of European integration have significantly diluted the Diceyan principle of legislative supremacy. Thus, the courts, consequent to empowerment by the Human Rights Act 1998, are nearly proximate to a position, whereby they can rescind an Act of Parliament. Moreover, the introduction of the principle of devolution implies that legislation is not the sole preserve of Westminster (Bradley & Ewing, 2007, p. 78). In the UK, an Act of Parliament had precedence over any other international law, under the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty. This was the situation in the UK prior to its becoming a member to the European Union. The enactment of the European Communities Act 1972 changed this situation by making the national laws subordinate to EC law (Fabunmi & Araromi, 2009, p. 198). As such, the European Communities Act 1972 obliged the Member States of the European Union to circumscribe their sovereign rights. This was the outcome of their having to transfer power from their domestic legal system to the EC. Thus, EC law takes precedence over domestic law (Fabunmi & Araromi, 2009, p. 198). Furthermore, every Member State has to implement the provisions of the Treaties and give legal effect to them, without any deviation. Consequently, the UK Parliament is constrained by the European Communities Act to enact laws that are compatible with Community Law. Specifically, section 2(1) of the European Communities Act 1972, precludes Parliament from making laws that are incompatible with Community Law. Furthermore, the provisions of this section make it obligatory for Parliament to give effect to the EC Treaties in its legislation. Thus, EC Law has to be recognised and implemented. Membership of the European Union caused the UK to change its system of weights and measures to the metric system. This was greeted with considerable hostility among the public and culminated in the Thoburn v Sunderland City Council or metric martyrs’ case. In its ruling the Court of Appeal opined that the Parliamentary sovereignty was seriously impacted by the European Communities Act 1972. This specific Act had engendered the harmonisation of the domestic legislation of

Fathers and Their Families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 24

Fathers and Their Families - Essay Example When fathers are not at home, the economic welfare of the family is adversely affected because mothers bear all the family financial burdens.a) When fathers are not at home, the economic welfare of the family is adversely affected because mothers bear all the family financial burdens.b) Fathers are usually a sense of security to their families, thus their absence exposes the family to potential risks of abuse among others.c) Fathers’ absence from the family breaks down the smallest unit of a family thus jeopardizes its functioning.Now that I have looked at the overall family welfare when fathers are away from home, I will proceed to discuss what happens to children when their fathers are not at home.II. Fathers’ absence from the family negatively affects the development and welfare of children) Children from families with more concerned and caring fathers encounter fewer behavioral challenges than their counterparts from fatherless families (Howard et al., 2006).b) Girl child usually needs the father for proper psychological development and absence of the father from home for a few hours or permanently servers the connection girls have with their fathers.c) Children are more likely to engage in early drug and substance abuse when their fathers are not at home. In conclusion, today, I have covered what happens to the family when fathers are away at home, which includes weakened social and economic strength as well as disturbed child development. When fathers are away from home, either for a short duration or permanently, their families are often adversely affected.  

Assess the importance of Chapter One in Great Expectations by Charles Essay

Assess the importance of Chapter One in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - Essay Example Pip is an orphan who has had a good though sometimes rough upbringing by his sister Estella. The focus in the entire novel is on the family, which starts from the very first chapter as Pip spends his time in the graveyard amongst his family members. He has never seen his parents ‘for their days were long before the days of photographs’ (5; ch 1). This also creates the atmosphere that the novel was created in the early nineteenth century. With child-like innocence, he conjures the image of his parents (whom he had never seen) by carefully studying the lettering on the tomb. The first chapter draws out the tension and creates the proper mood for the novel. ‘Ours was the marsh country (13; ch 1) denotes the depressing atmosphere in which Pip lives as a child. It symbolizes the uncertain and mysterious times in his life. This bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard (15-16; ch 1), the low leaden line beyond, was the river; the distant savage lair was the sea (19-21; ch 1)– add to the dreary scene. It also builds up a sense of dread that something fearful is about to happen. Soon after this Magwitch appears and threatens to cut Pip’s throat. The repetition creates an atmosphere of subdued and miserable tension that besieged Pip’s life when he discovers in chapter 39 that his benefactor is none other than Magwitch, the escaped convict who he had met at the graveyard. This revelation is awful and it destroys the little peace that he had known. The chapter further illustrates that no act of kindness ever goes unnoticed. He is frightened into helping an escaped convict called Magwitch. Pip returns bringing food and drink for Magwitch and this act of kindness has important consequences later in the novel. It was an act out of fear, as Pip was scared of Magwitch’s violent threats and because Magwitch made him promise, "Say

Immigration And The Uk Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Immigration And The Uk Economy - Essay Example The only requirement one must have so that they can enjoy the jobseekers allowance is that one must be living in the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland for three months immediately before making a claim for Jobseeker’s allowance (Ciupijus, 2011). Considering this, more than 30,000 people from Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania claim unemployment benefits in the UK, the research revealed. After a person satisfies the test in the UK, then that person can claim Jobseekers Allowance of up to  £ 72.41 ($116) weekly for a single person,  £113.70 for a couple (Hatton & Tani, 2005). The immigrant ends up costing the British taxpayers  £5B a year in tax credits. New figures show almost  £100 million a week is spent on the 415,000 people and cases of unemployed immigrants. Accordingly, there are foreign nationals who work in Britain who are benefitting from the payments a new analysis has revealed. We also have unemployment as anoth er effect of immigration as stipulated above herein. High unemployment rates Most of the immigrants who go to the UK have low skills or professional training while others are skilled (Freeman, 2015). Those that are skilled end up taking jobs of the UK natives who would have taken the jobs but due to lower skills or professional training they were avoided for the jobs. The semi-skilled immigrants are also willing to work at a much lesser pay as compared to their counterparts (Dustmann, Frattini & Preston, 2013).

Ways in which the internet has changed the way business operate in the Essay

Ways in which the internet has changed the way business operate in the global marketplace - Essay Example It is a business process in which jobs of one organization is getting done in another distant organization with the help of internet. In other words, an American organization can get their work done through an Indian organization without travelling to India. Internet provides all the platforms like email, audio and video conferencing etc for enhancing business communications between people staying in different parts of the world. It should be noted that India like countries have huge manpower strength and therefore labour charges in these countries are extremely low whereas in countries like America, manpower shortage is visible everywhere and therefore labour changes are more. Outsourcing helps American organizations to exploit the cheap labour markets and save billions of dollars every year. According to new figures released by the United States Department of Commerce e-Commerce Sales accounted for 2.4% of all sales in the fourth quarter of 2005, up from 2.3% the previous quarter, Total fourth quarter e-commerce revenues came to a seasonally adjusted $22.94 billion. For all year 2005, e-commerce sales rose by 24.6% according to information from the U.S. Census Stats (Internet World Stats News) E-commerce is another business segment developed as a result of the introduction of internet. Many people started to rely on internet for their purchasing needs. It is easy to purchase majority of the products available in the world through internet. One of the major advantages of internet purchase is the opportunity to purchase anything from anywhere in the world at any time, using credit cards. Internet opened many opportunities to sell domestic products in international market. Earlier, it was difficult for small companies to sell their products in international markets because of the difficulties in accomplishing exporting and importing formalities. However, it is easy for such companies to sell their products through internet without much hassles. â€Å"In

A Secure Internet Banking Information System in Distributed and Research Paper

A Secure Internet Banking Information System in Distributed and Heterogeneous Computing Environment - Research Paper Example It will provide information regarding the investigation approach, method of data collection and analytical approach to be used in the study. In today's volatile environment banking and financial institutions are implementing information systems in order to achieve growth and increased market share. The implementation of Information Technology provides the benefits of increased reliability and accuracy by reducing the chances of failures in the business system. The interdependencies in the business can be managed better through the implementation of an information system. With the provision of economies of scale, implementation of Information Systems in a banking organization also leads to several other problems, which should be addressed for the maximization of benefits attached. It is important to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of security issues related to the implementation of secure online banking information system in a distributed and heterogeneous computing environment. Previous research in the field provides a recognized conceptualization regarding the information system as an important source of competitive advantage for service organizations. The organizations should take necessary steps in order to save the technology from being copied by other organizations (Barney, 1991). The open nature of information technology and the ability of competitors to gain access to the same technology do not allow the hard aspect of e-commerce to become a source of competitive advantage. The implementation of an information system in a bank leads to customer benefit by reducing the transaction costs and providing the customers with increased bargaining power. With the increasing awareness in the industry players regarding the information technology, it has become inevitable for the firms to find a competitive advantage in the soft aspect of information management (Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 2000). Even if hard elements are easily accessible, two possible sources of comp etitive advantage remain effective utilization of these hard technologies within the wider organization of the firm, and unique combinations of the soft organizational and hard systemic aspects of the e-commerce revolution. Organizations need to change to make optimal use of new technologies (Penrose, 1959).  Ã‚  

Lone Worker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Lone Worker - Essay Example From time immemorial there prevails a perennial question: 'why do people work' answer to this question is still not arrived at with a stern mark that this is the correct answer. This is because every individual has his/her own idea of the work that reflects in the answers given. However, most of the people universally contend that people work for meeting a primary need of remuneration and satisfying the selves with secondary needs by means of satiated primary needs. Keeping apart the issue of people who meet their ends without working, a sense of mutual interaction, enriched with the satisfaction of the soul, is found underlying in the concept of work. (David A. Tansik, et al, 1980). Concrete needs such as, high income, prestige good chance for promotion and security underlie the universal concept of 'work'. (Rothman Robert A. 1987) Lone worker is one works in solitude. Employees who work away from their business base are also come under this lone worker category. Mobile workers like sales people too work alone. And people who work from their home and selected group of self-employed persons are in the same band of lone worker group. In any work place, the freedom of work is the most wanted ... Mobile workers like sales people too work alone. And people who work from their home and selected group of self-employed persons are in the same band of lone worker group. In any work place, the freedom of work is the most wanted need of any worker apart from the payment of salary. People want to work at their own pace, to break at their wish, do some demy official-cum-personal bits of works such as making data entries intermittently sandwiched between cups of tea. Job satisfaction is conceived in the light of above said freedom only. (Robert Schrank, 1978). Job satisfaction is a positive emotional state reflecting an affective response to the job situation. (Edwin and Locke, 1976). Perhaps during the initial/entry stage of a job, the satisfaction over the job might creep on the individual worker in relation to the quality and productivity.. But the job satisfaction is not so strongly related to the productivity. (Grey Jerry et al,1984). Thus the job satisfaction begins to dissipate, when productivity linked perception on extrinsic rewards take a form. The urge to quit the job usually is budding at this stage. A relatively strong negative relationship exists between the intent to stay and voluntary turnover. (Steele and Ovalle et al, 1984) Self-employed persons are usually enjoying the freedom of their work. Many factory workers, office staff and even executives feel boredom in their job due to psychogenic illness and come out of the realm of the monotony to switch over to self-employment. The psychogenic illness does not spare even lone workers who are virtually alienated from their co-workers. Feeble interpersonal relations tend to create boredom and subsequently to psychogenic illness. (Michel J. Colligan, 1978). Disparity over sex and race, which were

Introduction to Ethics -- Arguments for and against affirmative action Essay

Introduction to Ethics -- Arguments for and against affirmative action - Essay Example It seeks to create an environment where race and gender will not stand against someone’s ability to move up the hierarchy if one has the necessary skills and credentials for the job (Libertella, Sora & Natale, 2007). It is meant to correct the wrongs that have been created against the people of a specific gender, race, or religion. While the intentions were right, over time the imposition of AA started showing signs of reverse discrimination where the rights of the majority were at stake. Based on the policies of AA, people started giving preference to members of the target group without merit and the quotas for minorities were filled up carelessly. All these resulted in the White males being deprived of their basic rights. Thus Affirmative Action, while trying to provide equal opportunities to all, ends up in discriminating the Whites, and hence unethical. There will always be two sides to an argument and whether it is fair to the Whites or not, remains debatable. At times, some sacrifices for the greater good of the society are better than no action. If this be true, AA is justified because the intention is to provide more opportunities to the minorities and women. Nevertheless, this amounts to social segregation. Arguments again abound that social segmentation exists in every society based on religion, race and economic differences. Such segregation or discrimination might work for some time for social good. People have tried to justify that AA helped to make up for past wrongs. Instead of doing justice it violates the rights of the Whites for equal consideration (Stanford, 2005). Besides, discrimination on the basis of a belief that one race or sex is inferior is wrong because it violates the moral right to equal respect (Himma, 2001). Decision need to be taken based on character and abilities and not on stereotype. In a democratic system,

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay Example for Free

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay â€Å"Conflict Can Be Character Building† â€Å"Character building† is such a common phrase and has become a cliche designed to put a positive spin on painful experiences. While it is true to say that conflict is an inevitable aspect of life, it is not true to say that it always results in â€Å"building† people. In fact in some cases it tragically destroys them. While novelists and filmmakers, in particular, build a plotline which neatly introduces conflict, complications and crisis points which always lead to a positive resolution, real life doesn’t work that way. Stand by Me neatly follows this pattern, while real life conflicts such as friendship rifts, religious rivalries and political unrest may never be resolved and destroy many lives. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me portrays conflict through its narrator and protagonist’s reflections of an important journey he took when he was twelve. It was a journey that helped him confront some of his own internal conflicts regarding the loss of his brother, grief and his relationship with his grieving parents. It also explored the personal conflicts of his peer group and their own internal struggles as well as the conflict they had with family and a rival â€Å"gang†. While Gordy’s â€Å"victory† in finding the body and standing up to Ace is a crisis point in which he emerges as a hero, we are aware that there are still conflicts that have been overlooked in the focus on the one experience. The other characters are glossed over as they return to their unhappy and dysfunctional homes and so too is the fact that the threat of retribution from their rivals. The film is tied up with a content Gordy who conveniently became the writer his older brother always told him he was, had a nice home and happy relationship with his own son and has memories of â€Å"friendship† to cherish. But we need to focus on the most tragic conflict from which his friend Chris does not survive. â€Å"He was stabbed in the throat; he died almost instantly. Although I hadnt seen him for more than 10 years, I know Ill miss him forever.† Group conflict is a reality most of us experience on a regular basis.It comes in many forms.It can be about friendship groups, family feuds, school or institutional authority, gang supremacy, sporting, political, religious or racial rivalries in the extreme state of outright war. Individuals and  groups do clash. Sometimes the conflicts are accepted as differences that will never change while other times they ignite violent reactions. Even bullying is seen as a conflict and for those who are truly affected by bullying and inturn suffer a life long struggle with mental health and self esteem-these people do not ‘build character’ whatever person they were has been destroyed. Instead of the polite, outgoing person-a new, changed character has come about and with it is drugs, self harm and eating disorders. Australia has seen many refugees and asylum seekers risking life and limb to reach our shores in an effort to escape conflict. We know that may of them don’t make it many losing lives at sea and others scarred by the trauma of loss and their journeys. Our community has opened itself to many of the â€Å"lucky† ones who do make it here and yet they will tell you that the conflict in their lives haven’t â€Å"built† them but harmed them. Some have confessed that they will never recover, haunted by their experiences every day is a struggle. They don’t look back and say they are glad for the conflict as it gave them an opportunity to â€Å"build character†. Many people fear conflict with others but fail to consider the harm internal conflict has on them. There is an acceptance in dealing with or being concerned about conflict with others and internal conflicts still seem to be an issue most people are ashamed to acknowledge, much less discuss. True to its name they keep it all internal and wage a struggle on the inside.Internal conflict leads many to suffer silently on a daily basis and rather than build their character it can absolutely warp them and even break them. Depression, substance abuse (drugs and alcohol) as well as self harm, risky behaviours and suicide are all results of internal struggles that have not ended in â€Å"building† but instead ruining character. â€Å"Dealing with one young person’s sexual orientation was such an internal conflict that he turned to drugs and ended up a completely different personality who sadly overdosed. Friends and family just couldn’t understand why it ended so tragically.†- It is not an uncommon story. Character building happens in many ways. Ultimately, It happens through experience, growth, education, love, relationships, travel and support to name a few. It is wrong to assume that true character growth can only happen  with painful experiences and conflicts. It may be the case that sometimes a conflict teaches us a great deal and can contribute another layer to our character, but it is also more often the case that conflict can start a chain of events that ends in tragedy and has a destructive effect on an individual or groups of people which can even reverberate for generations.

Human Development Theory And Social Work Issues Social Work Essay

Human Development Theory And Social Work Issues Social Work Essay This study deals with the utility of human development theory in understanding practical social work issues. It takes up the case of the Murray family (provided in the appendix to this essay) and using the family as a base, attempts to apply different aspects of human development theory in a practical real life scenario. The study is divided into five specific sections. The first section briefly describes the circumstances of the Murray family. This is followed by the application of two theories of human development, (a) Erik Eriksons psychosocial development theory and Bronfenbrenners Ecological Model of Human Development, to understand child and adult development, (b) the ways in which political and social processes influence human development, (c) the role of inequalities in human development, and (d) the ways in which theories of human development underpin social work knowledge and values. The Murray family scenario is elaborated in detail in the appendix to this study and is thus being taken up briefly here. Jack (43) and Evelyn (36) Murray stay with their daughter Lora (6) and Evelyns mother Doris (71). Jack has two other sons, Seb (17) and David (15), who live separately. Jack Murray was an adopted child. He was brought up by parents who were open about his adopted status and has never shown any inclination to trace his biological parents. Jack has alcohol related problems and is prone towards domestic violence. Evelyn has been hurt and that too badly, in the recent past. Lora is doing well in school and is cared for by Doris, who is however becoming frail. She had to be placed in an emergency foster care environment during her summer holidays, even as her mother made use of a womens shelter to escape the difficulties of her home. Doris worries about being separated from her granddaughter and family if she were to go to a care home. All family members have expressed their willingness to work with a social worker. Application of Theories of Human Development Erik Eriksons theory of human development was first advanced in 1950 and has been significantly augmented in later years (Brenman-Gibson, 1997, p 329). Eriksons psychosocial theory states that life can be segregated into 8 stages from birth to death, which comprise of (a) infancy (birth to 18 months), (b) early childhood (18 months to 3 years), (c) play age (3 to 5 years), (d) school age (5 to 12 years), (e) adolescence (12 to 18 years), (f) young adulthood (18 to 35 years), (g) middle adulthood (35 to 55 or 65 years) and (h) late adulthood (55 or 65 to death) (Brenman-Gibson, 1997, p 329). Each of Eriksons 8 stages involves a crisis that is characterised by two opposing emotional forces. Infancy, for instance, involves trust v mistrust and is characterised by the care of the mother for a child with an emphasis on touch and visual contact (Christiansen Palkovitz, 1998, p 133). Successful transition through this period results in individuals learning to trust in life and to have confidence in the future, even as problems during this period can lead to feelings of worthlessness and mistrust (Christiansen Palkovitz, 1998, p 133). The school age of 6 to 12 years is similarly characterised by the opposing forces of industry and inferiority (Brenman-Gibson, 1997, p 331). Individuals are capable of learning, building and achieving numerous skills and knowledge during this period, thereby developing feelings of industry. This stage of development can also lead to the experiencing of feelings of inferiority and inadequacy with peers and result in problems of self esteem and competence (Brenman-Gibson, 1997, p 331). Eriksons philosophy rests on two important themes, namely (a) that the world enlarges as people go along, and (b) that failure is cumulative (Douvan, 1997, p 16). The first theme is indisputable. Whilst the second is debatable, it is true that children who have to perforce deal with difficult circumstances find it challenging to negotiate later stages in their lives in comparison with others (Douvan, 1997, p 16). Various studies have revealed that children who were not stroked as infants find it difficult to connect with others in their adulthood. Eriksons theory of human development has gained wide acceptance and is often used as a framework for understanding the nature of issues that lead to current behaviour and to prepare for the coming stages (Douvan, 1997, p 16). The analysis of the Murray family members reveal that Jack Murray could have suffered from lack of stroking in his infancy, especially up to his adoption at the age of 6 months. This could have resulted in entrenched feelings of worthlessness and tendencies to mistrust the world. Such feelings, along with his experience of growing up as an adopted child, may have inculcated feelings of low self esteem and be causal in his current drinking problems. Whilst Lora has grown up in the presence of affectionate parents and a loving grandmother, she is now entering the school age and the coming 6 years will enlarge her contact with the world, where parents whilst still important will not be the complete authorities they have been until death. The application of Eriksons theory of human development helps social workers in understanding the various influences that individuals experience in the course of their lives and the roles of such influences in guiding their current behaviour and their emotional and social attitudes (Raeff Benson, 2003, p 61). Bronfenbrenners ecological model was first introduced in the early 1970s. His general ecological model is defined by 2 propositions (Brendtro, 2006, p 162). The first proposition states that human development, specifically in the early phases but also throughout life, occurs through processes that progressively become more complex and involve reciprocal interaction between active and evolving humans, who are bio-psychological in their approach, and the people, objects, and symbols in their immediate environment (Brendtro, 2006, p 162). Such interaction, when it occurs over extended time periods, on a regular basis are termed as proximal processes and can be found in activities between parent and children, children and children, and solitary or group play, as well as in reading, getting to know new skills and performing complex and difficult tasks (Brendtro, 2006, p 162). The second proposition states that the power, content, form and direction of these proximal processes influence development in a varying manner on account of the characteristics of developing individuals (Brendtro, 2006, p 162). Such development is also influenced by the environment in which such processes take place and the nature of development outcomes that are under study. The mother infant interaction, (an important proximal process) emerges as an important predictor of developmental outcomes (Brendtro, 2006, p 162). Bronfenbrenners theory defines 4 different types of systems, namely the Micro system, the Meso system, the Exo system and the Macro system, which shape human development (Austrian, 2002, p 43). The Micro system comprises of the family, classrooms and schools, and other systems in the proximal environment in which people operate. The Meso system represents the interaction of two micro systems, like the connection between the home and the school of a child (Austrian, 2002, p 43). The Exo system represents the environment that is external to the experience of an individual and in which his or her involvement is indirect, but which effects development, all the same. The workplace of the parents of a child is a relevant example of an Exo system. The Macro system represents the larger cultural context (Austrian, 2002, p 43). Bronfenbrenners theory perceives the environment of a child in terms of quality and context and attempts to explain differences between the knowledge, development and skills of individuals through the structure, support and guidance of the societies in which they exist (Ahuja, 2006, p 3). He states that interaction between over lapping eco systems affect people significantly. Applying Bronfenbrenners theory to the Murray family, it can be seen that Loras family and classrooms can be called the micro systems, which directly influence her working and development (Ahuja, 2006, p 3). When these two micro systems start working together to educate Lora, such education occurs through the Meso system. The society and culture in which Lora is being raised provides the underlying influence to these systems and is termed the Macro system. The comprehension of interaction of these systems helps in understanding the way in which children develop and the factors that influence failure and success (Ahuja, 2006, p 3). Analysis of various micro and macro systems can help social workers significantly in understanding the various influences that shape the development of children. Researchers have in fact specifically found the significance of macro systems to be causal to general depression and feelings of low self esteem in individuals (Ahuja, 2006, p 3). The application of Bronfenbrenners theory in the Murray family scenario enables the development of greater understanding on the influences of different micro and Macro systems on the development of Lora in her school age and can help social workers to adopt appropriate intervention methods. Role of Political and Social Processes on Human Development Whilst there is little doubt that the development of individuals is largely shaped by their home and school environments, sociological theory also places significant stress on the influence of larger society on such development (Grusec Hastings, 2008, p 42). All individuals grow up in specific political, cultural and social environments that shape their attitudes and behaviours and influence their development in specific ways. The particular societies in which people live are home to different types of religious, cultural and social attitudes, biases and beliefs (Grusec Hastings, 2008, p 42). Such political and social processes provide individuals with the means to participate within their own society, which itself contains shared customs, norms, traditions, values and social roles (Grusec Hastings, 2008, p 42). These processes are essentially life long, starting in childhood and continuing till death. Both Erikson and Bronfenbrenners theories deal with the process of socialisatio n but through different perspectives Such socialisation occurs through the influence of the family, religion, schools and peer groups, workplaces and the larger community (Berns, 2009, p 131). These processes are also influenced by local media and political thought. Children and young adults are significantly influenced by their peers. Such influences can often be negative and result in substance abuse, premature sexual activity and the need to live up to wrong expectations (Berns, 2009, p 131). Mass media plays an immense role in influencing human development. The constant exposure of children to glamour, sexual satisfaction and violence can influence the development of children and young adults in various ways (Berns, 2009, p 131). With regard to the Murray family, it can well be understood that the personal development of all concerned individuals is likely to be influenced by different political and social processes. The continuance of domestic violence at home can lead to feelings of distress in Lora, especially when she compares her domestic environment to that of her friends, and cause her to wish to shift to a more peaceful environment. Such socialisation processes can furthermore leads to feelings of shame about her background and low self esteem, lead her to shun her family and take solace in her peers and spark of truant and delinquent behaviour. Impact of Inequalities on Human Development Social work theory and knowledge primarily aims to diminish and eliminate the impact of inequalities on the lives of individuals (Neckerman, 2004, p 189). Inequalities can arise on account of various factors like income, education, gender and ethnic status. Such inequalities essentially serve to reduce excess of affected people to various facilities and reduce the prospects of their life outcomes and their chances to lead normal and enriching lives, inequalities in income can for example deprive the children of such families from various educational and other facilities and severely diminish their life outcomes (Neckerman, 2004, p 189). Such inequalities can also generate feelings of low esteem and result in suboptimal performance in and out of school during childhood and in the workplace in adult life. Numerous studies have revealed that children with poorly educated parents receive significantly lesser educational sustenance and support at home, which in turn affects their cognitiv e development and adversely influences their performance at school (Marger, 2004, p 86). Lora the 6 year old Murray child has until now done very well in school. The disturbed domestic situation in her house, especially the gender inequality between her parents and the domestic violence faced by her mother can well result in poorer educational support at home, especially when she is moving into the learning stage and needs it the most. Gender inequality has been widely accepted to be an important factor in the unequal life chances offered to men and women of societies across the world and has resulted in unequal development and life chances of the two sexes (Marger, 2004, p 86). Influence of Human Development Theories on Social Work Knowledge and Values Theories of human development help in shaping the ideas of readers on the essence of human behaviour (Austrian, 2002, p 56). It expands the understanding of individuals of the scope, the potential and complexity of human function. Whilst scholars of human development do not agree on or endorse a single theory, many of these theories provide new perspectives for the observation and interpretation of human behaviour (Austrian, 2002, p 56). Piagets theory of cognitive development has resulted in a new appreciation for the ways in which children construct sense and meaning out of their experiences (Raeff Benson, 2003, p 81). Eriksons psychosocial theory highlights the concept of identity, even as the social learning theory of Bandura has resulted in the widespread use of modelling to simulate conditions under which children increase their learning by observing and imitating the behaviour of others (Raeff Benson, 2003, p 81). The social work profession draws extensively on theories of h uman development for understanding the behaviour of individuals, with specific regard to the causal influences of such behaviour. An understanding of such theories not only enables social workers to understand the causes for human behaviour but also helps them to plan appropriate interventions to improve the social, emotional and economic conditions of people (Raeff Benson, 2003, p 81). It helps social workers to understand the dynamic interaction that takes place among human beings and the impact of social systems upon the lives of people. A greater understanding of such theories also helps social workers in appreciating human diversity, as well as the impact of different actions in helping human beings to access opportunities and services that foster realisation of social and economic justice (Austrian, 2002, p 56). Conclusions

The Importance of Education :: Importance of Education Essays

After twelve years of school, it took me until now to figure out exactly why I had been there all those years. It was not to torture me by making me learn how to spell but to make sure that my classmates and I got the opportunity to make the most of ourselves. Opportunity that would come from learning as much as possible from books and beginning to see that the world focuses on more than just history and English . I owe my success in life and school to teachers who taught me to spell and to be respectful and responsible. Those quick to argue with me say that school's usefulness is shallow: deeper-real-life experiences truly educate a person. School should be seen not only as a place to study, but also as a place to learn about real life. People cannot depend on experience alone for education just as they cannot solely rely on information from school books to prepare them for life. The lessons, whether from a book or not, learned in school transcend the classroom to real life situatio ns. School, in essence, functions as a ladder to the future. The farther up the ladder a person goes, the more prepared for real life he will find himself. Respect is one of the keys to getting up the ladder and succeeding in many aspects of life. I grew up respecting my elders: whether it was my grandparents or the librarian, I have always had respect. The regard I have developed for teachers has come from knowing that I will need their help to make it through school and I can only get it by being respectful and polite. To help students up the ladder, school indirectly teaches its students about respect. Although not found on the pages of any text book, learning lessons in respect can be very helpful. The idea of respect starts with teachers and often branches to the development of peer and self respect. Everyone has experienced a teacher that they couldn't stand and dreaded going to that class. It was times like that which challenged the respect that had begun to develop. In eight grade, my english teacher was one of the mose mean people I have ever met. I got a 0 on a quiz because I spelled one word wrong (it was not a spelling quiz). I hated going to her class, half the time, I just wanted to scream at her.

Food in Afghanistan :: essays research papers

Food in different countries can be very interesting. There are many different practices and preparations for different styles of food. In Afghanistan, everything is repaired by the woman. This is due to the fact that in their country, women are of a lesser value then men. This is all changing as the country is being reborn after that unfortunate incident involving Asamu Bin Laden. In Afghanistan, Afghans are under Islamic laws and controlled in all aspects of life. Most of them are divided into clans and groups who follow centuries-old customs and religious practices. For Afghans, Shab-Barat is a time for them to give bread and sweets, such as Halvah, to the poor. They do this to honor their god Allah. Also, they light off fireworks in his name. Before sitting down and enjoying a meal in Afghanistan, you may find yourself preying to their god and thanking them for your meal, relative to what most families do here in America. So far that I have read, Afghans usually use their fingers or some sort of sharp object to pick up their food and eat it. I know it sounds barbaric, but I can see how it would be hard to be civilized in that country. Being under the rule that they were and then being bombed. Life in Afghanistan must be low quality as of now. Afghanistan lately has been trying to establish a government and fix their broken culture which needs heavy mending. Afghan Chicken Recipe Amount  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measurement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ingredient  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preparation Method 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  large  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cloves garlic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1/2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  teaspoon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  salt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cups  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  plain whole-milk yogurt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  tablespoons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  juice and pulp of 1 large lemon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1/2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  teaspoon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cracked black pepper  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  large  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whole chicken breasts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  about 2 pounds Long, slow marinating in garlicky yogurt tenderizes, moistens and adds deep flavor, so you end up with skinless grilled chicken that's as delicious as it is nutritionally correct. Serve with soft pita or Arab flatbread and fresh yogurt. Put the salt in a wide, shallow non-reactive bowl with the garlic and mash them together until you have paste. Add yogurt, lemon and pepper. Skin the chicken breasts, remove all visible fat and separate the halves. Bend each backward to break the bones so the pieces win lie flat.

Essay --

Some resources needed to become a record label owner consist of, a â€Å"go to guy or girl† for graphic design, merchandise printers, a talent manager. Some common sense things that would professional in this career might be: moderate typing skills and a lot of patience. A great way to catch people’s attention is a logo. A professional looking logo is always worth how ever much it is priced or quoted by the graphic designer you choose to use. There are many so don’t think your choices are limited. I personally know 10 off the top of my head, including myself. But for the best work, it’s sometimes better to have someone else do your graphic design work, as it’s not burdening you on your other jobs you need to look into for your label. Usually graphic designers are common with mostly all of the social media sites out there. The main sites that I’ve seen graphic designers on, include: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and usually their own site recommended by someone on any of the above social media sites. That guy would most likely be doing all of your merchandise for your label, or bands as well. Merchandise (aka. merch) printer/distributors’, is a great thing to have when you’re a record label owner. Especially if your designer does a great job that wants people to spend their money on your merch. A great thing to look for in a merch printer/distributor, is by looking into their previous customers. Seeing if they had any problems, or any setbacks, or just problems with being unprepared. Finding someone who already has a flat rate is great because their flat rate can give you the number you’re looking for when saving your money or purchasing your printed merch. Being able to tell a good band apart from a mediocre, not really... ...ught as a threat. Other labels don’t really enjoy competition, especially when your label takes a band that they wanted to sign to their label. Another great way to get attention is promotional pages on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites that have a smaller fan base, but want attention to their small time bands. When using promotional pages you always try to get â€Å"Likes† on your Facebook, because usually that’s one of the first thing a band looks for when looking for a label. Then it’s professional qualities. Activity on the page, maturity, and so on. Say for example, my label partner and I have discussed that no other label this close to their inception looks this professional AND can provide what we can for our bands. That includes discounted designs, music videos, lyric videos (typography videos), promotion, and many more things â€Å"Afflicted Records† can provide.

Continuities and Chnages of Labor Systems in Africa Essay

Many attempts have been made around the world at reforming current legal systems in search of a better one. As the amount of crime rises worldwide, people are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to fight it, and prevent it. Three such attempts involving attempts to change legal systems have been discussed the last half of this course. The change from the system put in place when a country was under colonization, as in Kilamanjaro, and Papa New Guinea. An attempt to revert to the historically cultural ways of dealing with conflict, as in China and India. In addition, an attempt by the more modern industrialized societies to become more attuned to the people with whom they are trying to help, as in Japan, and Santa Anna. By studying these examples and implementing one of them, almost any kind of stagnant legal system can attempt to change for the better. Many countries were colonized throughout the history of the world, by more dominant countries. These colonizing countries often only wanted the newly acquired country for the land, resources, or the labor they could offer. Often these colonizers brought into the new country their style of government and law, neglecting the native people. Many times, this new system caused many of the problems in the colonized country. Two examples of a country being colonized and the subsequent changes that occurred once the colonizers left are in Kilamanjaro and in Papa New Guinea. Kilamanjaro was colonized first by the Germans in the mid 1880’s, and then by the British during WWI, and finally gained independence in 1961 (Tanzania). Each country brought with it their own system of government and law, and attempted to impose these on the people of Kilamanjaro. To the native people, land is extremely important, and often the cause of many conflicts. There are two different types of farmland on the mountain, a high one and a low one, and coffee is the dominant cash crop. Since there isn’t enough prime farming land for everybody, a system of patriarchal lineage developed where the male would give his existing compound to his oldest son, and move somewhere else inviting his youngest so to live with him, and have the farm upon his death. If there was a middle son, he was forced to operate independently. As the population continues to grow rapidly, inevitably, stress has begun to compound this system; there just isn’t enough land for all the people. This led to many conflicts arising over who actually owns land, since it was essential to the survival of the people. Historically the chief was the most important people in Kilamanjaro, as he is responsible for several districts over an area. Chiefs controlled the long distance profitable trade, received half of the cattle fro the wars, could at any time call on his people to help do anything such as build a fence, and sometimes even received an extra child from his people to use as another worker. These chiefs were often fair people, they believed in not squeezing the poor but taxing the rich. They wanted to help the poor, and create a mutuality situation between them and the rich. When it came to conflict resolution chiefs were able to settle disputes, but often didn’t, as many people tried to keep the dispute with in their own family or lineage. They went to the elders instead and sought their advice. A case would go to the chiefs only if deemed necessary by the elders. Under the German period of occupation, this system was altered. They insisted on recognizing the customary law and ruling through the chiefs. However they didn’t really let the chiefs have any power. The Germans took over the long distance trade, wiped out warfare, and stripped from the chiefs their whole base of their power. The chiefs whole basis of power under this system was the fact the Germans recognized them as powerful. Things changed however under the British system. The British saw themselves as more advanced, and thus wanted to civilize the Africans, and help them to create a better system. What they created was a system of duality, where they used traditional law for minor infractions, and British law for the serious crimes. This again takes the power out of the traditional cultural ways of solving disputes, and places it in the colonizers. The Germans took over economically, and the British, while still taking over economically they changed the whole cultural system as well. The British sought to understand the true customary laws of the Africans, and to write them down as a means of reference for settling disputes, a practice which for centuries was never done, yet the locals always managed to solve disputes. They implemented a system of modern British laws, including imposing a statute of limitations on cases. This contradicted with the customary way the Africans dealt with things in the law. The British also wanted to systemize the law, emphasize the rule of the law, and impose their own decisions on local problems. The British also formed a duel court system, one for whites and another for Africans, as an attempt at allowing the locals to retain some form of their historical past. Overall, the British system was naive and morally based, not the way the Africans traditionally operated. Their system, of viewing everything as static and unchanging was too radical for the indigenous people to comprehend. Their whole existence has been based on the cultural laws of their people, and the implementation of those laws as elders, or chiefs saw fit. The local laws were multidimensional and could be seen in different context by the natives at different times, with the British wanting to write everything down and operate from this system of written law, the system changed and the ability of the customary law to change with the times change to. Another example of a colonizing situation was in New Guinea, where it was recently colonized by Europeans. As was the case with the Africans, New Guinea was a farming community, and thus, viewed land as an important commodity. They have a traditional system of â€Å"Big Man† government, no chiefs just several big men who represent the power and authority in the area. They emphasized self-help, and negotiation in their resolving conflicts, but also used the threat of fighting, and the actual fights themselves as a means of resolution. New Guinea differs from Africa in that the Europeans attempted to be less intrusive into their way of life. They patrolled the areas where the people lived, erasing the system of contacts that had been developed among the people. They tried not to be heavy handed but at the same time ruined the connections made between the people that was essential for their resolving disputes. Warfare was looked down upon, and thus the traditional way of resolving disputes was radically erased from the land. Even though the Europeans were trying to be fair and let the traditional system work, they didn’t understand it. They didn’t realize that these conflicts and connections were crucial to the traditional system and was needed for it to be able to operate. These two examples show the problems that colonizers have with trying to impose modernization on a society as remote and backwards as these. They have existed for centuries by their own terms, why should they change now. Legal systems change for reasons other than a dominating colonizing power forcing them to. In China for example, there has long been a history of mediation as a means of settling disputes. This history of mediation was based on the Confucianism, an ideology that emphasizes harmony and respect for one another, along with a hierarchy in all the cosmos, meaning that it emphasized people respecting and getting along with one another, even when settling disputes. It also emphasized that certain people were indeed higher in stature than others were. Mediation under this system placed a strong emphasis on the ritual, and ceremony of settling disputes. Each party in the process has a particular role, and each party is expected to perform in that role. This concept was based on the Li, or the philosophical principle that called for respect and social form. This type of mediation allowed people to save face, and not to publicly admit to wrongdoing. Once the conflict was settled, the issues surrounding the original debate were never discussed again and the party’s left happy with the sense of community restored. This traditional system worked well to preserve the community of the in the traditional sense of the Chinese culture. When communism came into power this system of mediation was preserved, however, slightly altered. It became known as â€Å"comrades court,† which involved many people with anyone having the ability to mediate. This was a very tight association between social mediation and political ideology. It was an extreme form of exclusive mediation, as Greenhouse would have categorized it. It consisted of the political ideology being very influential, and no longer just trying to deal with the interests of the parties involved. Its goal was to educate the population in the beliefs of the government, and resolve the conflicts as quickly and efficiently as possible. Like the old system the face to face part of the process was still in use, however, one didn’t know who would end up getting involved in the mediation process, and often the people feared that the government would get involved and punish them severely, possibly even by death. For this reason many people were afraid of the system and opted not to use it as readily as they had the traditional. With the opening up of China to outside influences, the system has lightly changed as well, although it is nowhere near, where it was before communism. It is still used as the first means of resolving conflicts, however, the vast majority of these cases are being dealt with on the localized level, causing many to feel more at ease with the situation. These local mediation communities are still under heavy control of the communist party, as the â€Å"judges† are often placed there by the party itself. Disputes since the rise of communism have been classified into two categories, those involving ordinary citizens, and those involving crimes against the state. It is where the crime is directed against the state that the process of mediation is pretty much thrown out and the accused is severely punished, prompting the fear of the public. Within both systems, mediation plays a major role, as does the bias against the use of law as a means of resolving disputes. This has led to the widespread acceptance of the mediation system under communist regime even though it differs from the traditional form of mediation. A major difference between the two systems is the way they each look at the conflict itself. In the traditional early period, conflict was seen as unavoidable, and they worked to ensure there wouldn’t be future conflicts. In the communist period, they tend to see conflict as important and productive and don’t attempt to appease all the parties involved in a dispute upon settling it. The major difference however, as it is in most other aspects of Chinese life, is the involvement of the state. In traditional times the state was never involved, maybe occasionally, nowadays the state plays a major role, often squashing any of the traditional characteristics of the system. The state wants its influence to be recognized, its voice to be heard, where as in the past it used to be the voice of the people that was most important, and led to the resolutions lasting and everyone being satisfied by them. The process now, while it may be inexpensive and not involving the courts, is very intrusive into peoples lives, and imposes political values on the people who bring their cases to mediation. Is it better then the traditional sense? I don’t know if it is or not, it is very similar, but much like the rest of China the government sought more control in the everyday affairs of the people, and that is what is happening. A similar situation occurred in India, where there existed a complex system of conflict resolution, but upon the government wanting to modernize the country, most was thrown out. India is also another country that has been colonized, and draws a lot of its government from the British. However, once colonization ended for them, the newly free government had to decide whether or not to revert to the traditional practices of the Jati, or attempt to bring Indian law into the 21st century. Many of the hierarchy of society at the time India was granted freedom were legal professionals from the British days. They wanted to implement a British style of legal system, mainly for their own material gains, as they would be the ones who would be called on as lawyers, and judges. Many people within India opposed this system, seeing it as the culture of the oppressor. They sought to eradicate this system from their country completely. However, as the years of colonization passed the British system gradually became fused with features of the local tradition, especially the local courts system. It became less of an oppressive system and more of a working one. Today the British system has become domesticated to the Indian ways of doing things and a hybrid system has developed. It no longer seems so alien to so many Indians. This example is similar to the Chinese example as the governments of each country are trying to deal with change. In China when the communists took over they only wanted to slightly alter the existing system of mediation, while in India when the British left, the new government only wanted to slightly change the existing system. In both cases, little change was made, only enough to take into consideration the new ideologies of the new government. There is however, a strong backlash against the British system in terms of how it deals with marriage law, but I am choosing not to discuss this issue because it is abstract from the points that I am trying to make. Legal systems also change as they are deemed to be unresponsive, and to out of touch, a is the case in many of the industrialized societies of today. Two examples exist of how changes in the way police are conducting their trade has led to improvements within the society, Japan, and Santa Ana California. The Japanese have made their police much more visible, and eadily available to the public, when compared to the typical American city. This has led to them being much more accepted by the Japanese public than the American police are by our public. They have, for a long time now, abandoned the motorized form of policing in a car, and have instead opted for foot patrols. This brings the actual officer out onto the street, and gets him more involved in the affairs of the people, enabling him to be better capable of stopping trouble before it starts. The whole emphasis on the way the Japanese police has been placed in their continuing efforts to integrate with the community. A system of Kuban’s has been developed as a place in the community where a small number of officers are stationed. There are several Koban through out Japan, as they are the basis for the policing process. These Koban have various connections with various community groups and organization, further placing the public behind the police. Similarly, in Santa Anna California, a new system has been adopted to better integrate the police force with the people they are trying to serve. During the racially tensed 1960’s the police department in the city became very out of touch with the needs of the people in Santa Anna. Police officers began to see themselves as the only form of law, and began to enact their own brand of justice. Public opinion of the department went down, as did the relationship between the department and the public. The city therefore hired a new chief whom implemented several new community oriented policies all aimed at trying to restore the trust of the public. He divided the city into four grids’ and flooded each with police officers, in an attempt to make the police more accessible to the public, and their concerns. He also hired several new citizens to act as officers, without the official tag of being police officers. They handled many of the mundane tasks of police work, which freed up more officers to be out in the public, exposing themselves, and attempting to prevent crime. Due to the large foreign speaking population, he also hired several citizens who could speak the languages of the people, thus making the department more accessible to those who previously have been closed out due to language barriers. Buildings were set up as a neighborhood control center for the police, but also lent it to many community functions. These buildings, which were very similar to the Koban in Japan, were an attempt to invite the public in and welcome them into the police world. As in Japan, the public was welcomed in and encouraged to make complaints, give information about possible criminal activity, or just sit down and get to know the officers. All of this was done in an attempt to win over the public, and make them feel more comfortable with the police department. It is very similar to the way the Japanese system is set up in that they both work from the grassroots level, using the human resources approach rather than an authoritative system, and the strong desire to integrate with the community, and make them feel more comfortable with the police. As I have demonstrated, changes have taken place in legal systems around the world, some for the better and some not. However, they all end up, in one way or another to reflect the belief that traditional methods are best. Without any inclusion of traditional methods law itself wouldn’t be able to be applied to masses of people.

Hosting a dinner party for friends Essay

Ask how many guests will be coming for the dinner. Determine if any of the guests have any special food requirements like being vegetarian or any food allergies. Determine what the budget is for the dinner party. Plan the menu for the dinner; take note of serving nutritious and delicious food. Identify what dishes will be served and list all of the ingredients and the required tools for preparing the ingredients. Go to the market to purchase all the needed ingredients. Recruit help from willing family members to help in the dinner preparation. Set the theme for the dinner and buy flowers and fruits for the centerpiece. Prepare and cook the dishes for the dinner. Clean the house and make sure there is enough room for each person. During Make sure that guests are comfortably seated. Provide entertainment or keep the conversation flowing smoothly. Make sure that the food is well presented and served in order. Ample time is given for the guests to digest the food before serving the dessert. Personal necessities like going to the bathroom, flossing, washing their hands and the like are provided. After Supervise the cleaning up of the dinner table. Wash the plates and cutlery before going to bed. Left-over dishes should be stored properly. Make sure that everything is cleaned and tidied for the next day.

First Poem for You Essay

The Shakespearean sonnet â€Å"First Poem for You† has an iambic pentameter and consistent rhyme scheme. Every other line represents a true rhyme – the final accented vowels and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical. For example the words â€Å"complete† and â€Å"neat† (Addonizio 1, 3). Every line of the poem has a basic stressed and unstressed syllable format, except the last line. The extension of the last line â€Å"but touch them, trying† implements a longer stress (14). I believe this has definite meaning to the structure of the poem. In addition, the final verse of the poem is the longest line. In relation to the word â€Å"trying†, I believe that the longer stress and length in the final line of the poem emphasizes the woman continuing to mend the relationship with her boyfriend. The theme of the poem is about love and desire, a woman who cares for her boyfriend seeks to mend the brokenness in their relationship. The title of the poem, â€Å"First Poem for You†, is simplistic and straightforward. Nevertheless, it has direct meaning and relation to the poem. There is a woman writing to her boyfriend about her feelings towards him. She likes to touch his tattoos, have sexual intercourse, yet she recognizes the pain between them and states that â€Å"such permanence is terrifying† (13). These split feelings cause a tone of ambivalence – conflicting feelings toward a person. She is touching the tattoos in complete darkness, which can help the reader understand her desire for her boyfriend yet the shame or timidity that is shared as well. Most shameful acts are done in the dark. Culture and society distinguish the pros of light vs. darkness. This poem does not directly reflect light vs. darkness (good vs. vil), but I believe the negative connotation the word darkness holds, transcends into this poem. If she was touching her boyfriend in the light the poem may have a more optimistic mood. However, darkness is usually related to death, therefore having a pessimistic mood. Furthermore, the connotation of death demonstrates a more in depth meaning of verse 11, â€Å"you’re seared to ashes†. This is a representation of the boyfriend’s death. Perhaps, he is burned alive, but I believe it refers more to him being cremated. Either meaning the reader interprets, the writer wants the reader to understand that the tattoos will remain until death. This is important because I believe the lasting of the tattoos reflect the â€Å"until death do apart† affections the woman has. This brings us back to the last phrase of the poem, â€Å"but touch them, trying†. Despite the confusing feelings, the woman wants to work through the relationship till the death of one of them. Just as the tattoos will remain till death, so will her pursuit towards her boyfriend. The tattoos have many symbolic representations that help the reader understand the feelings the woman has for her boyfriend. Water and lightening are two words that have a symbolic meaning for the poem. â€Å"Lines of lightening pulsing just above your nipple, can find, as if by instinct, the blue swirls of water on your shoulder where a serpent twists, facing a dragon† (4-7). Though symbols can have multiple meanings, the tone and theme of the poem helps to point out the specific meaning behind the relationship. The girlfriend, of the guy with the tattoos, enjoys touching the tattoos when she is unable to see the guy. She knows by heart just where the lightening is pulsing. In this case, the lightening symbolizes power of love that has a pulse, just like a person’s heartbeat; a beat that can go faster or slower depending on the situation. It is instinctive for the woman to know where every tattoo on the guy, just like in a relationship, a person may know every mark or scar on the other’s body. The woman knows that just above his shoulder are the blue swirls of water, where the water is symbolizing that the boyfriend may be pure at heart. The serpent facing the dragon symbolizes the warrior in him, and it also shows he has no fear against his enemies. When I pull you to me, until we’re spent and quiet on the sheets, I love to kiss the pictures in your skin† (Kennedy, 601), means that she pulls him closer to her while they’re laying down and falling asleep, she expresses her love and care for him until there’s no more time left in the night, until it’s all spent. To kiss the pictures in his skin simply means kissing his tattoos. â€Å"They’ll last until you’re seared to ashes; whatever persists or turns to pain between us, they will still be there† (Kennedy, 601), whatever persists†¦

Comparative Research on Cross-Cultural Families Essay

1. Reference or bibliographic entry of your selected article in APA style (see example in the first assignment guidelines): Toro-Morn, M., & Sprecher, S. (2003). A cross-cultural comparison of mate preferences among university students; the united states vs. the people’s republic of china (PRC). Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(2), 151-170. 2. What are the aims and/or research questions of the study? The research of the cross-cultural study aims their question at comparing mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China and those young adults of the United States. This study correlates to the research done in 1998 by Goodwin, which examine the political and economic structure in a particular culture and the effect it had on relationships, in particular mate preferences. 3. What concepts or ideas did the authors want to study? How were they defined in the study? Read through the literature background or the introduction part. The article states the researchers have three concepts they wish to obtain from the study. One, within each culture analyzes gender variation in mate preferences. Second, differentiate the two cultures in which they are satisfied with gender differences in mate preferences. Third, differentiate the two cultures of the significance of diverse partner characteristics. The concepts were outlined and explain through a questionnaire to 648 university students in the United States and 735 university students in the People’s Republic of China. The United States questionnaire contained 422 females, 219 males, and 7 did not specify their gender. The People’s Republic of China questionnaire contained 343 females, 352 males, and 40 did not specify their gender. The questionnaire contained a section called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate.† Through the results, researchers could determine which traits were least and most important. Also the differences and similarities within each culture, including the mate preferences of women versus males within each culture. 4. Describe the participants of the study. Since you are supposed to choose an article of a cross-cultural study on families, the participants for this study should have different cultural backgrounds. What are these cultural backgrounds? What are the demographics of the participants? This study contained two different participants, our very own young adults from the United States and young adults from the People’s Republic of China. In the late 1970s, The People’s Republic of China began having social and economic reforms. Not only did they began having reforms, but these reforms stimulated the growth of social science research. Which as a result, allowed researchers to research the mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China is recognize as the largest country in the world. Thus, having an immense population. These people live in a country were social and historical forces play an important role in their expectations of their potential partner. In addition they live in a country were government enforces family polices. This study contain people who were currently in a university; thus their age would range from eighteen to twenty three. 5. What is the authors’ methodology? How did the authors collect their data? What are the measurements or research tools that they used? The author’s methodology is based on a method, a procedure, measurements of the procedure, and results. The author collected their data by a questionnaire given to university students in the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The measurements the researchers used were in a section on the questionnaire called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate† which determine what characteristics they found important in a potential mate. 6. What kind of analytical procedures did the authors use? Describe each as to how they can answer the research questions or achieve the aims of the study. The author uses three types of analytical procedures. They first gather their research by determining which of the twenty-five traits were most and least favored overall. They put this data into a table, which  portrays the importance rating for the total sample. Secondly, they compared the similarities and differences within each culture. As a result, they are able compare each culture traits that hold high or low importance and see if any of them are the same. Third, they compare the mate preferences for women and men in each culture. 7. What are their general findings and conclusions? The study concluded that participants would rather have a mate who is honest, kind, healthy, and have an energetic personality. Researchers found that participants felt that intrinsic personality traits were more important then status characteristics. Males were more entranced with attractiveness as a role in finding their mate. Well women in both culture were looking for men with earning potential and wealth. The major difference between the United States and Chinese cultures was the importance of having children to both parties. As you could imagine, it was important to the American culture and was fairly unimportant to the Chinese counterparts. 8. After the findings and conclusions, what recommendations were made by the researchers? I don’t know if there were recommendations made as much as thoughts for the future. The researchers though that the past has shaped both countries enough that what they look for in a potential mate will stay true. These differences between the two countries should still hold true, disregarding the fact that the Untied States culture is widely accepted in China. If anything they came to the conclusion that China’s one-child policy has a major effect on how the Chinese look for a mate. 9. What learning did you gain from this assignment or from reading this kind of a paper? I definitely enjoyed reading this particular article because it compared the United States culture (which is the country I lived in) to another culture, the People’s Republic of China. Through the researchers questionnaire, I was able to see the comparisons between the two cultures in their mate  preferences. I felt it was interesting to see how important social and economic factors are in other cultures.

Jane Austen’s Portrayal of Darcy in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Mr Darcy is, in a single word, our hero. He is everything we should hate, in fact everything Lizzy does hate, but also everything we find irresistible. He is both interesting and enigmatic and his appeal stems from the fact that to understand him you have to delve down deeper. Jane Austen’s success in portraying him well is due to her style of writing. She teases, giving only snips of information. To put together a character you must build up what you know- which usually isn’t much. What is also engaging about her portrayal of Darcy is that we initially only see him through Lizzy’s prejudiced eyes. Darcy’s negative points are focused on and it’s only really on completion of the novel that you realise he isn’t who he is thought to be. This is very clever on Jane Austen’s part as the reader is always left wanting more. We are first introduced to Darcy in Chapter Three. Mr Bingley is first introduced- he is â€Å"good looking† and has â€Å"unaffected manners†. Also he has fine sisters with a â€Å"decided air†. However all this cannot help but pale in comparison when his friend is brought to the attention of the room. He grabs attention with â€Å"his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien†. It is also swiftly reported that he has ten thousand a year- making him a very eligible catch for any young woman (especially any of the five Bennet girls). However, within the same praising paragraph, another side is exposed. People are disgusted with his manners, â€Å"He was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased†. Here Jane Austen is already doing what she does best. Darcy has overshadowed his companions but he isn’t allowed his glory as the follow up is less than pleasing. This leads us to believe that Darcy is not blessed with his friends virtues- pleasantness and joy- but is fact vain and arrogant. Jane Austen starts us down a particular way of thinking and I believe it is a deliberate attempt to deceive us. It makes Darcy’s true nature all the more surprising. Ten he is overheard to have called Lizzy â€Å"tolerable† which is a despicable crime as she is our heroine and the one we feel closest to. Another shrewd move by Austen- first impression always last. Which is ironic because Darcy later talks of how fragile his good opinion is. What we know of Darcy now will constantly affect what we later discover. In Chapter Five Darcy’s behaviour is brought up in Lizzy’s conversation with Charlotte Lucas. This is most probably the topic of conversation for every lady present at the ball and it shows that Darcy is definitely a man to be talked about.. Only once we have formed an opinion of Darcy does Austin make it known that he find something very lovely in â€Å"the beautiful expression of her dark eyes†. However he puts down his feelings because she has not the suitable means to ever be anything to him. Once more Darcy’s pride and vanity surpasses what could have been a great virtue- affection for our heroine. It is obvious he likes her- he offer’s to dance with her although he gets no pleasure out of it- but his reserve and pride means his true, sensitive nature is covered up. Also we must remember that her portrayal of Darcy would have been affected by the period. Many criticise Darcy’s detachment from open feelings and his aloofness toward Lizzy but at this time formality was required of gentlemen. It may seem now that his attitude is rude and hostile but declarations of passion were not commonplace. Men of this time had to have absolute self-control. Which makes Bingley’s behaviour all the more pleasing and Darcy’s behaviour all the more surprising. Bingley is not at all formal but generous, open and very hospitable whereas Darcy, his closest companion, is still holding back. It surprising the reader that some of Bingley’s kindness hasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t rubbed off on Darcy. Something which gives a hint of Darcy’s true nature is his attitude toward Miss Bingley. She has the same social standing as he and is the type of woman he was brought up to marry. She is also aware of the fact that Lizzy is , bluntly speaking, of a much lower social standing than he should marry. However he is not at all drawn into nastiness by her verbal attacks on others- â€Å"He listened to her with perfect indifference†. He lacks a cruel streak but is simply honest, if somewhat lacking in subtlety. What he doesn’t lack is modesty- especially where Mr Wickham is concerned. In Chapter Eighteen the pair dance and they discuss Wickham briefly. Darcy could have told Lizzy everything, recommending himself over Wickham and earning points. However he didn’t take advantage of the situation, preferring to wait until Chapter Thirty Seven when he writes to Lizzy. His proposal could have been a very successful event had his pride not stepped in and dwelt on the i nferiority of her family. There was a sense that great passion and feeling was behind the offer but again Austen degrades him using his incredible weakness- his pride. But even that doesn’t cushion him from the wound of her rejection. We feel maybe Darcy is human after all. His letter is what clinches this suspicion. This is raw Darcy- but even this is restrained. It is also very open and could turn the whole plot around. The proud man at Netherfield, who could well prove Wickham’s account of him, has not gone totally but is much reduced. He is still vaguely proud and reserved- â€Å"I write without any intention of paining you or humbling myself†- but he has lost the requirement he felt to be discrete about Wickham. He feels comfortable enough with Lizzy to be honest. This firmly suggests that his feelings are true as we know how little he discloses to anyone. Even this letter ends with a blessing, so even after rejection he is not the ogre he appears to be. I think Jane Austen had him write the letter immediately after he is rejected to prove that he has been humbled, looking at himself with the criticism Lizzy had of him. It makes us think better of him but we still struggle, as Lizzys does, with how he usually appears- so haughty and conceited. Austen doesn’t clear him of all charges which is clever as it adds more to the story if Darcy stays a little mysterious. Towards the end we are able to get a fuller picture of Darcy. When Lizzy goes to Pemberly with her aunt and uncle she gets her first, first-hand account of Darcy she has really had. His housekeeper, with no reason to lie, talks easily of his good-nature and thoughtfulness towards others. It surprises Lizzy but she doesn’t dismiss the idea- the letter has rattled her- and the reader’s- firm opinion of his hateful character. When she meets Darcy out walking he leads on from this description by politely addressing her relatives., inviting her uncle to fish with him and of course asking, most humbly, if he may introduce his sister to Lizzy. Here he is in his own territory and has no need to put up a front so he relaxes and becomes very amiable. In the next chapter we meet his sister and we know at once that Wickham has been lying as she is shy, gentle and unassuming. I think at this point Lizzy is feeling real shame for her presumptions and maybe after seeing Pemberly and Georgiana, slight regret in her total dismissal of Darcy. He has done more than enough to clear his name. Despite this he is kinder still when he learns of Lizzy’s family’s disgrace concerning Lydia’s elopement. Darcy could have turned away- it would have probably been in his best interests if he hadn’t got involved but his love for our heroine means he will do whatever it takes to ease her suffering. And he even has the grace and modesty to let Mr Gardiner take the credit for the money he laid down for the marriage. Here Austen does nothing to make his good deed bad- this time he is without fault She is allowing us to see Darcy in his rightful form. And coupled with his active role in preventing Wickham from marrying Georgiana we see he is truly a gentleman. His second proposal is certainly the best image we have of him- and rightly so. He is warm and compassionate, acknowledging his beastly behaviour, explaining it and apologising for it. I think Austen intends us to believe Lizzy is what Darcy needed to check his pride and overcome his shyness. Which makes the coupling all the more perfect. What is so good about Jane Austen’s portrayal of Darcy is that he is exactly what Lizzy needed in a husband. He is quick and can match her wit- smiling when she gets the better of him. They fit together perfectly, complementing all the best qualities in each other. Throughout the novel Jane Austen uses the character of Darcy and develops it in all the best ways. He maintains an air of mystery throughout until the end where we are all pleased with the result. Beautifully done.