Concept of Life

Social work believes that people’s current behaviors are largely influenced by past events and experiences throughout their life-course. Life-course perspective provides a model for understanding human behavior by looking at the series of events and experiences that occur at different stages of an individual’s life cycle. Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Concept of Life-Course Perspective in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People’s lives are often shaped by the chronological age, relationships within and outside the family, and social change that occurs throughout a person’s life cycle (Hutchison, 2011). Life-course perspective rests on the hypothesis that as people develop from childhood through adolescence to adulthood, their lives take a path characterized by continuities, twists and turns depending on the prevailing life-course factors (Hutchison, 2011). As people gr ow from childhood to adulthood, their lives are shaped by such important concepts as cohort, transitions, trajectories, live events, and turning points as will be seen in the interviewee case discussed below (Hutchison, 2011). The social environment presents both risk and protective factors that directly influence an individual’s resiliency level (Greene, 2002). Having provided a theoretical overview of life-course perspective, this paper presents a practical application of the model. The paper uses life-course perspective to analyze events, transitions, trajectories, and turning points that have occurred in a client’s life-course leading her development into a young adult. Young adulthood is a critical stage in a person’s life cycle as it provides the transition from adolescence to adulthood (Mortimer and Shanahan, 2006). According to Levinson (1978), adulthood is â€Å"a period of undulating stability and stress, signified by transitions that occur at specif ic chronological times within the life-course† (cited in Hutchison, 2011, p. 278). It is during this stage that a person becomes independent and is expected to pursue his/her life-course outside their original home (van Warmer and Besthorn, 2010). This stage also expects an individual to take up serious roles in life (Hutchison, 2011). While some people go through this stage smoothly, for others it is a nightmare as will be seen in the case of the interviewee analyzed in this paper. For purposes of confidentiality, I will call my interviewee Vivian. Background of the interviewee Vivian is a 29-year-old African-American lady. She was brought up in a single-mother household together with her four siblings. Vivian grew up in poverty being raised up by her mother while her father was a useless crack addict who often stole from the family and even molested two of his daughters, Vivian being one of them. Advertising Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we ca n help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Vivian’s family suffered evictions due to rent nonpayment and moved from shelters to staying with relatives, and finally to a rented home. However, Vivian’s mother was a devoted Christian who went to church three times a week. Vivian attended public school and did so well. However, she was forced to drop out of college due to baby sitting. Out of her 10-year relationship with a black man, Vivian has two children; a seven-year old girl and a four-year old boy. However, her boyfriend is a drug dealer and has constantly battered her. Their relationship is characterized by constant arguments, fights, disrespect, break ups and re-unions. She once had her boyfriend arrested for domestic violence, but still continues to have him back in her life and that of the children’s. Despite the troubled relationship, Vivian is unsure whether to let go of her children’s father or not. She claims to love hi m, but wants to move on. However, she still ends up back with him. For this reason, Vivian has been in and out of relationships. While Vivian admits she would love to have a perfect family- father, mother and children- she fails to accept that this can never happen with her children’s father. Apart from relationship problems, Vivian is also unable to keep a job because of poor time and attendance. She is also materialistic and loves class. Understanding Vivian’s life Based on the data generated from the interview as outlined above, Vivian’s life-course can be best understood using several developmental themes including timing of lives and linked or interlinked lives. Timing of lives is more concerned about a person’s age with reference to expected roles and behaviors of that particular age group (Hutchison, 2011). In American society, career, relationships and childbearing are significant expectations of young adulthood. Vivian is 29 years old meaning s he is almost halfway in young adulthood. The transitions expected at her age include starting a career, leaving home, getting married, and bearing children, some of which has occurred in Vivian’s life with some twists and turns. Vivian had her first born when she was 22 years, which is â€Å"on-time† according to the timing of lives theme. While Vivian is blessed with two children, her relationship with their father is a nightmare. Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Concept of Life-Course Perspective in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She seems to be in and out of relationships, all in a bid to conform to â€Å"timing lives†, which expects her to be in marriage at her age. Another expectation of her age is a career. Vivian is struggling to be in employment to conform to age expectations even if she has no time for a job. Apart from the timing of lives, Vivian’s life can a lso be understood using the linked or interlinked theme. It is clear that people do not live their lives in a vacuum, but rather in a society where the social environment plays a greater role in shaping their life-course (Hutchison, 2011). According to Greene (2002), the social environment in which a person is raised up can either pose a risk or a protective factor in their life-course. As a child, Vivian lived in a poverty stricken single-parent household together with her four siblings. While her mother struggled to make them comfortable, Vivian states that her father was a useless crack addict who even molested Vivian and her sister when they were still children. Vivian’s family was also forced to live with relatives after eviction from their shelter. Vivian’s childhood and adolescence was thus linked to problems in her family and influence from relatives. Even though, Vivian describes her mother as a dedicated Christian, events happening in her family must have affected her emotionally and hence her ability to provide emotional support to Vivian and her siblings. Raising five children as a single mother is not easy especially given her economic status. In simple terms, Vivian’s childhood was marked by life events that must have affected and will continue to affect her ability to develop and maintain relationships during her young adulthood. Hutchison (2011) illustrates Erickson’s stage of intimacy vs isolation in chapter 7, which can describe Vivian’s present life stage. As an individual develops from adolescence to young adulthood, he or she has to transform the fragmentations, confusions and explorations of adolescence into intimate engagements (p. 276). Vivian must have had a good relationship with her siblings, relatives and friends in the neighborhood, but she must have missed having a father figure around her and this can explain her desire to have a perfect family with a father figure for her children. Adverti sing Looking for assessment on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Maybe she does not want her children to go through the same experience she had during her childhood and adolescence stages being brought up by a single mother. Hence, Vivian would rather subject her children to a dysfunctional family unit than a single parent family. The cohort effects in Vivian’s life course can be traced to the post WWII baby boom. Vivian’s mother belongs to this cohort and the financial difficulties experienced in the 1960s and 1970s explain’s the economic trajectory of Vivian’s life course (Spain and Bianchi 1996). Vivian’s mother suffered the increasing marital instability of 1980s and was thus unable to pursue any meaningful employment while also tending to her children as a single mother. We see Vivian’s life also taking the same course. Vivian has gone through many transitions in her life leading to her current life-course stage. According to Hutchison (2011), a transition refers to roles and responsibilities that represent a departure from the previous ones. The first major transition in Vivians life occurred when she had her first born child. Vivian had to assume the role of a mother and was even forced to quit college so that she could babysit her daughter; something that must have generated some stress in her life. Another transition in her life was when she got into a relationship with her children’s father. While relationship is considered by many as a positive transition in an individual’s life, for Vivian it became a negative transition that changed her life for the worst explaining her present stage of life. Vivian is experiencing one important life cycle task, i.e., making the decision to end her relationship as she is confused on what to do. Hutchison (2011) states that young adulthood is a stage when individuals are expected to apply in their daily lives what they developed during their adolescence years such as sensitivity, personal morality, and awareness of wron g and right. While most cultures around the world consider all married individuals as adults, American society considers a person an adult adult based on financial independence as well as ability to make independent decisions and be accountable for one’s actions (Mortimer and Shanahan, 2006). In this context, Vivian may not be considered an adult, despite her age. Vivian’s life-course has experienced three important turning points. As Hutchison (2011) outlines, a turning point denotes any event that produces a lasting effect in an individual’s life course. Vivian’s major turning point occurred when she had her first born child. As a result, she had to drop out of college shattering her dreams of a better life in the future. She was also forced to move in with her children’s father, despite his criminal acts. Likewise, the main trajectory of Vivian’s life-course is her relationship with her children’s father. This relationship first led to her having unplanned baby, then dropping out of college, then a series of domestic violence, and lastly her state of confusion. Vivian’s social environment and family has had a lasting impact on her life-course. Having been born in a poor family, Vivian had to live the simple life ever. She had to go to a public school, watch her family being evicted from their shelter, and even live at the mercy of relatives. It is also because of her low social class that Vivian ended up with the type of a husband she has. She could not mingle with the rich since she was poor hence ended up with a poor drug dealer for a husband. Vivian’s race as an African-American must have also had a lasting influence on her life. In most cases, African-Americans are considered low-class in American society and do not have access to opportunity compared to pure Americans. Since Vivian spent her childhood in a poor society being teased by the rich, she must have longed to be rich some day. It is for this reason that Vivian is materialistic and class minded. She is on and off employment, but does not lose hope simply because she is determined to better her economic status. Vivian’s life-course is characterized by events and experiences that can be considered as developmental risk. Her childhood through adolescence was characterized by cumulative poverty. She also spent her childhood in a non-intact family unit. According to McLanahan and Sandefur (1994), children who are brought up by single parents are likely to face the risk of teenage pregnancies, school dropouts, and idleness hence detrimental to young adults economic prospects. However, Vivian was able to develop resilience, thanks to the support of her mother, relatives, and siblings. Contrary to what I would expect from someone who has gone through similar experience as Vivian, Vivian is able to develop intimate relationships and is even able to tolerate her boyfriend, which is a perfect illustration of resilience (Greene, 2002). She is also struggling to be in employment. As a young adult her life has been marked by a series of domestic violence, despite her desire for a happy family. This is also a developmental risk, which if not professionally addressed would affect her future life stages as well as that of her children. References Greene, R. (2002). Resiliency: an integrated approach to policy, practice and research. Washington, DC: NASW press. Hutchison, E.D. (Ed.) (2011). Dimensions of human behavior: The changing life course. 4th Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. McLanahan, S., Sandefur G. (1994). Growing up in a single parent family: what works, what doesn’t. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Mortimer, T. Shanahan, M.J. (2006). Handbook of the life course. New York: Springer. Spain, D. Bianchi S. M. (1996). Balancing act: Marriage, motherhood and employment among American women. New York, New York: Russell Sage Foundation. van Warmer, K. Besthor n, S. H. (2010). Human behavior and the social environment, macro level: Groups, communities and organizations. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This assessment on Concept of Life-Course Perspective in Society was written and submitted by user N0la to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Exercise and Physical Activity Essay

Exercise and Physical Activity Essay Exercise and Physical Activity Essay Consumer Fitness Workout Log You will need to document six hours (or 360 minutes) to include a variety of physical activity. A variety of physical activity can be defined as a minimum of three different activities. Students are expected to log activities multiple times per week for each week enrolled in the HOPE course. You cannot complete and receive credit for HOPE course if you do not complete each of the topic workout logs. Please save this document to your computer. (You will need to add the necessary rows to the table below until you have a total of 360 minutes of physical activity.) Make sure you complete the entire Workout log, including the Reflections and the Fitness Test Comparisons. Student Name: Toni Randall As you complete your physical activities in this topic, you will be â€Å"field testing† a product of your choice and reflecting upon whether or not this product actually helped you to achieve the goal you thought that it would. (Note: Field testing products should not include products such as diet pills, vitamin water, or other ingested substances without the direct supervision of your physician.) Please define a measurable physical activity goal related to a specific area of fitness you think this product will improve that relates to improving your performance in a specific activity. Goal: I aspire to _do better in my workouts________________________________ no later than ____oct 6________. (worth 20 points) Examples: I aspire to drink at least 20 ounces of water from my XYZ Water Bottle during each of my workouts no later than May 20th, 2009. I believe that my XYZ Water Bottle will help me stay better hydrated during my workouts. †¨ Date Warm-up Physical Activity Intensity (Light, Medium, or High) Cool-Down Minutes 4/22/09 Walking Jogging Medium Quadriceps, hamstring, and calf stretches 50 9/12/13 Stretching safely Running High Calf 10 9/14/13 Jump jacks cheering Light butterflies 40 9/16/13 squats basketball High jogging 70 9/18/13 running walking Light Sit ups 30 9/19/13 Push -ups Lifting weights Medium planks 25

E-government and E-business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

E-government and E-business - Essay Example That doesn't, of course mean that all the organizations have adopted the e-business models. But beneath the surface, a lot has happened. Computers have been playing much more major role than sheer word processing or computational devices. Today, many managers look at it as an effective communication tool. With the advent of the Internet, the clerks in the companies exchange e-mails with remote suppliers, ordering goods via electronic catalogues and tracking those orders through the whole procurement cycle (Feng Li, 2006). The essential features of e-business are: Scholars generally view e-business and e-government as two phenomena that are quite similar in nature, yet occur independently to one another. Apparently, the two are generally studied separately, though using a common background concerning research methods. Research has also begun suggest that e-business and e-government are related, and therefore should to be studied together. These aspects become much more important and helpful during winds of economic change as they help in improving the economy of the country. As a matter of fact, partnerships between public and private entities have in many instances become key instruments in enabling the development of the region capable of sustaining the local economy by stimulating innovation and fostering greater efficiency within industry. They have also played instrumental roles in eliminating the various ills plaguing the region like the unemployment.Historically, it was in Chile that a real e-governance initiative was taken up in 1972 when IT services were unheard of in those days and were very limited in business. They used IT techniques not just to make paperless offices but also to perform government work efficiently. (Roland, 2003) It is a well-known fact that the advent of e-governance has helped in bridging the gap between the Governments and the public. In the developed nations wherein almost everyone has access to the Internet at very nominal rates, this has been declared a huge success. While certain privileged sections of the society get to avail e-governance and get closer to the government, the threat of the under-privileged, uneducated people distancing themselves from the government cannot be ruled out. However, the major challenge lies in implementing this in the underdeveloped and the developing areas where few people have access to the Internet and major portion of them do not know how to access the Internet. A possible solution for this problem, which can be conceived, is setting up of centers specifically for people to enable performing transactions with the Government with little or no effort. Trained people must be allowed to run these centers, under the supervision of the Government. (J.Sathy anarayana, 2004) Hence, we can sum up the properties of e-governance as follows Integrates the networks of all the government depts., thus, giving the user a platform

Giotto di Bondone (a piece of artwork) Research Paper

Giotto di Bondone (a piece of artwork) - Research Paper Example Giotto is generally considered as the first in a series of legendary artists who positively contributed to the renaissance in Italy. Religion played an important role in Italy during the renaissance. It was a period characterized by turmoil in the Christian faith especially the Roman Catholic. Renaissance had a profound impact on contemporary Christianity especially in the way people perceived the relationship between God and man. Some more secular aspects of humanism developed against a background of Christianity and art was used to portray Christianity as the true religion. Most of the new art of the time was in dedication to the church or was commissioned by the church. Self awareness that the masses developed during the renaissance also influenced art during the period. Architects, artists, writers and sculptors in Italy were using phrases like â€Å"alle romana et all antica† or â€Å"modi antichi† to show their awareness of the transformations that were taking place during the time. The awareness was not limited to classical antiquity but was also spread to the growing desire to imitate and study nature and portraying scenes from the bible to imitate classical forms. Renaissance art was distinguished because of its ability to develop high quality and realistic linear perspectives involving nature. Giotto di Bondone was a futuristic artist and the pioneer in applying perspective to develop a trend in arts that moved towards realism. Giovanni Villani, Giotto’s contemporary described him as the painting master who drew all his postures and figures according to nature. Giotto’s mastery of art is maybe best captured by Vasari Giorgio who described him as the artist who drew accurately from life. He was credited with applying a painting as a telescope into space though the art of perspective. Perspective only came to be formalized much later by Alberti Battista (1404-1472)

Essay of the laramie project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Of the laramie project - Essay Example The violent crime against Shepard has become a symbol of violence experienced by bisexual, lesbians, transgender and gay people. Two themes, hate the sin, but love the sinner and live and let live emerges in The Laramie Project. The research herein investigates the incidences and various problems that the gay individuals have undergone overtime. It intends discourage the act through the brutal and unfair acts for the realization of a peaceful society. However, in The Laramie Project, some residents of Laramie, Wyoming repeat two themes, â€Å"hate the sin, but show love to the sinner†, live, and let live. The repetition is because of the residents attitudes directed to gay residents. It is imperative to explore the two themes for examining their history and meaning with the current debate concerning the lifestyle of gay individuals in the United States. Let us begin with the theme, â€Å"hate the sin, but love the sinner†. â€Å"Hate the Sinful acts but Love the offender," it has always been mistaken as Jesus Christ saying it, but the fact is Mahatma Gandhi mentioned it several times. This phrase is what now people famously refer to â€Å"hate the sin, but love the sinner† and was quoted many times from Mahatma Gandhi autobiography. Some individuals point out to this theme to provide themselves unlimited permission, or even an obligation, to hate sin in other individuals. In The Laramie Project play, the Rev erend’s comment was saying indirectly that Matthew in his lifestyle â€Å"sinned† (Kaufman 27) by becoming a gay. The Reverend wrongly believed that Matthew hoped that when he was falling into a state of comatose, he was thinking about how he would change his gay sexual preference or attitude. In addition, the Reverends comment insinuated that Matthews sorry situation was because of the beating he received (Kaufman 65-66). In saying this, he wanted people in Laramie to understand that he loved

House of Lords Reform Essay

House of Lords Reform Essay House of Lords Role and Powers In comparison with the House of Commons, the House of Lords powers are restricted. Their political clout is owed more to convention and tradition. The House has no influence on any bills relating to government finance and although it has the authority to stall any acts of parliament for up to a year, the Commons can cite the Parliament Act 1949 an act introduced by Labour that effectively removed the delaying privileges of the Lords to swiftly defeat any motion. However, the Lords do hold the jurisdiction to veto any bill that may prolong a governments tenure in office. Each government can only rule for five years without a general election. Therefore, the Lords can block any move by the Commons to extend a regime beyond their legal term. Incidentally, this power has never been used in practice. The Lords make a valuable contribution to improving the quality of legislation in parliament. 50 60% of the chambers time is devoted to the revision of Commons bills. During the 2007/08 parliamentary session, the Lords tabled 7,259 amendments to draft bills of which 2,625 were accepted by the Commons. These included the Counter Terrorism Bill which outlined plans to revise the period of time potential terrorism suspects could be detained in custody without charge. The proposal was rejected by a majority of 192. The Lords have the capacity to dedicate time to in-depth scrutiny of proposed bills. This allows the Commons to take a back seat role and concentrate their efforts on MP constituency responsibilities and other issues. Consequently, many of the most thorough and full proof amendments find their origins in the House of Lords. In fact, it has been argued that the Commons abuse the Lords time and expertise in order to rework incompetently contrived bills. The Lords posses equal powers on matters concerning Private Members Bills. In plain terms, like the Commons, they too can reject them outright. In 2005, Lord Joffe proposed a bill that legalised assisted suicide in the case of terminally ill individuals. This involved doctors having the discretion to prescribe patients with a fatal dose of medication. However, the bill was fervently opposed on moral grounds and subsequently overcome. Like their counterpart, the Lords is also safe guarded by parliamentary privilege. This means that the chamber is exempt from libel allegations and therefore permits peers the liberty of free speech within parliament. Legislative procedures aside, the House of Lords plays an important role in scrutinising the actions of parliament. This scrutiny takes the form of questions to ministers, debates in parliament and committee work. There is no Lords equivalent to Commons Questions Time. In its place, time is allocated at the start of each days session for questions to the Lords ministers. During the 2007/08 parliamentary session, 595 oral questions were put forth whilst 5,814 oral written questions were lodged. Debates in the chamber are reflective of the diverse membership of the house. Generally, they are said to be more civil than those that take place in the Commons. Furthermore, although still evident, party allegiance does not carry the same weight. The content of the issues discussed are said to be far more deliberated and comprehensive than those in the Commons. This can be explained by the caliber of representative the Lords can boast. The 2007/08 parliamentary session featured 80 general debates ranging from disputes about the state of the armed forces to the current economic situation in the UK. The House of Lords exhibits a number of committees globally acclaimed for their expertise. The coveted European Communities Committee is held in high regard and compliments the less detailed studies conducted by their Commons counterpart. The Science Technology Committee, founded in 1979, was responsible for a damning report in 2007 on e-crime. The review examined the role the internet has played in increasing crime levels, highlighting the dangers of online depravity and advised the government of the preventative measures that needed to be put in place. In 2005, the Lords Constitution Committee produced a report on the potential introduction of ID cards and concluded that it threatened to destroy the harmony between the state and citizen. As of October 2009, the judicial powers of the House of Lords were removed when the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 was brought into practice. Prior to this, the chamber was considered the highest court in the United Kingdom and was traditionally the court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases. Justice was administered via the Law Lords the countries most higher-ranking judges. However, with the creation of a new United Kingdom Supreme Court, the judicial role of the Lords was effectively rendered void. Composition of House of Lords In 1997, Tony Blairs Labour government came to power and immediately pledged to make the House of Lords more democratic and representative of the electorate. Up until this point, the chamber had comprised of life peers who had been honoured with their seat due to outstanding achievements in their field of work and the traditional hereditary peers who ascended to their position through birth. Due to the massive prevalence of Conservative supporters amongst hereditary peers prior to 1999, there existed an ingrown Conservative majority within the second Chamber of parliament. The House of Lords Act 1999 sought to fulfil the Labour partys 1997 manifesto commitment to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The Act served to remove more than 600 hereditary peers from membership. Consequently, this created greater equality between the Conservatives and Labour, leaving the balance of power being held by the cross-benchers and the Liberal Democrats. There was no longer a single party who dominated the House. This change in composition is reflected when comparing House of Lords Membership in January 1999 to that of November 2009. In January 1999, prior to the Acts ratification, the Conservatives had 473 peers sitting in the second chamber. As of November 2009, there were only 190 active Conservative peers. In stark contrast, in January 1999, Labour had 168 peers within the House. This figure had risen to 212 by November 2009 and therefore emphasises the close parity now in operation between Labour and Tory  peers. The number of Liberal Democrat peers has remained consistent. In 1999, the party had 67 peers. This figure had increased marginally to 71 by 2009. The removal of hereditary peers also resulted in a significant drop in cross-bench peers. In 1999, there were 310 working in the House. By 2009, this number had reduced to 183. The composition of the chamber has also been altered by the increasing numbers of life peers derived from common social standing. Whilst hereditary peers are traditionally bourn of upper class backgrounds, life peers offer a more socially representative alternative. However, it must be noted that despite this discrepancy, class issues still remain. In order to offer a life peerage, recipients will generally have achieved something of particular repute. Therefore, by the time peerage is granted, it is highly unlikely that the individual will be still considered of lower social standing. In turn, this severely hampers the chances of the chamber ever becoming a socially representative mechanism of the United Kingdom. The terms of the House of Lords Act 1999 has also increased the role played by woman within the House of Lords. In 1990, 80 women held peerage within the House. By November 2009, as a result of the changing composition, there were 148 women sitting with the Lords. This shows an increase from 7% of the total membership to 20 % of the total membership in just under two decades. The present day House of Lords is evidently different from that one that existed before Labour came to power in 1997. Its composition has been transformed in comparison with the Conservative stronghold that was in place pre reform and it now promotes a far more equal representation of political allegiance, gender and social status. More significantly, the vast majority of members are life peers and not hereditary peers. The Reforms Agenda Stage two of the Labour Governments plans to reform the House of Lords involved the consolidation of Stage One the removal of hereditary peers. It was designed to bolster and strengthen the move to a second chamber based purely on appointment. The idea was that the reforms would create a more representative chamber based on the votes a political party had acquired at the previous general election. Stage three of the reforms agenda outlined proposals for an expansive reform of the House of Lords. In theory, the government had anticipated that the successful implementation of an all-appointed second chamber would allow for more fundamental reforms to be made in order to stabilise the Lords position in Parliament. Secondly, the government planned to introduce a wider programme of constitutional change within the House. This hinged entirely on the success of the stage two reforms in ensuring the House of Lords maintained its legitimacy. Jack Straw, the secretary of state for justice, recently claimed that the reforms of 1999 dramatically changed the House of Lords for the better. However, many would argue this is not the case. Ultimately, the Labour government has failed to deliver on its promise of a wholly elected second chamber. In 2007 the House of Commons voted in favour of reforms leading to a 100% or 80% elected second chamber. This proposal was rejected outright by the House of Lords. Despite the governments insistence that the reforms would be pushed through using the will of the Commons, two years have since passed and the in-house squabbling still rages between those in power. This is the frank nature of the reforms debate. An unelected second chamber with no direct link to the people raises serious questions of legitimacy. The body itself is fundamental to the making of legislation. The Labour Party has been in power for close to 13 years and it has achieved very little. The successful implementation of Stage one of the Lords reform programme now appear as substantial as a gentle breeze. Despite overwhelming public favour for reform of the Lords and numerous votes for a fully elected chamber, Labour has not pushed through the reform agenda its 1997 manifesto guaranteed. Unfortunately, the governments plans have not came to fruition.. It looks likely that it will remain that way for the foreseeable future. Sources Jones, B. Kavanagh, D. Moran, M. and Norton, P. (2007), Politics UK, 6th Edition Norton, P. (2005), Parliament in British Politics Russell, M. (2000), Reforming the House of Lords: Lessons from Overseas Direct Gov Website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm The Works of the House of Lords: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HoLwork.pdf UK Parliament Website: http://www.parliament.uk/index.cfm Appendix Questions to MP regarding House of Lord Reforms: 1. Please can you explain the term the â€Å"Poodle of the Prime Minister† and its relation to Stage One of the House of Lords reform agenda? 2. Why the change of heart regarding your stance on reform? 3. Where do the Governments major failings lie in terms of not delivering on its 1997 manifesto promise to reform the House of Lords? 4. Do you agree that an elected second chamber is an essential link to the people and not having one raises questions of legitimacy? 5. There are those who argue that the restraining influence of the Lords is crucial to the efficiency of the UK Parliamentary system. Why do we need an elected second chamber? Follow up; 1. Philip Norton Lord Norton of Louth Conservative peer and professor of government at the University of Hull. From 2001 to 2004 he was Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution. He has been described in The House Magazine the journal of both Houses of Parliament as ‘our greatest living expert on Parliament. Mr Norton is extremely knowledgeable on the governments reform agenda and has written acclaimed publications on the matter. Serving as peer within the Lords, he would be able to give a view from the parapets. 2. Gerald Warner Scottish newspaper columnist and political commentator. He is a former policy advisor to the British Cabinet Minister. His daily blog for the Daily Telegraph attracts widespread debate and he regularly writes of the need for reform within the House of Lords. Mr Warner would be a useful port of contact as he has been immersed in the politics for a number of years and through his daily blog activity would be able to transmit an accurate portrayal of British consensus on Lords reform agenda. 3. Lord Hope Scottish Judge and Deputy Head of the Supreme Court of the UK. Lord Hope is a prestigious Law Lord and has served in the House of Lords in numerous important roles. It would be beneficial to gauge his reaction to the devolved judicial powers of the House of Lords now that the New Supreme Court is in operation. 4. Jonathan Freedland British Journalist who writes a weekly column for the Guardian. Recently expressed his views on the need for an elected second Chamber of Parliament. Therefore, the issue is of great interest to him and he will be knowledgeable on the subject matter. Also, hes a young journalist who might be able to give a fresh perspective on the House of Lords.

Code Of Hummurabi :: Hummurabi Code of Law

History is the past, which for the most part can not be scientificately proven. The real; goal of History is to rediscover past. A dramatic error happens when past is rediscovered from our own bias that is from the way we see it. Even certain artifacts and works pf literature that we have left from earlier civilizations can be interpreted in several different ways, or misinterpreted to a certain extend or entirely. Usually interpretation or even misinterpretation is affected bu the concept of ethnocentrism, where different communities have an already set up establishment of certain norms based on their own believes, traditions, social, legislative, and personal values and ethics from which they judge other foreign communities. When considering other societies, it is usually a difficult task to view â€Å"other world† without any observer prejudices. Each world, our and their can evoke its own realities that are more or less comparable from one period to another, or from one cu lture to another. One of the obvious misinterpretations, discussed in this paper, took place considering historical document written by king of Mesopotamia. Our textbook, Arts and Culture,(p 98) presents Hammurabi’s Code as a â€Å"Law Code† of king Hammurabi. It was, in turn something quite different from a Code of Laws existing in our judicial and legislative structure of government and society. Hammurabi’s Code- â€Å"A law Code† or a set of royal decisions As written in Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings, (p26), the code consists if 282 laws that are branched at the beginning and end by a prologue and epilogue. The â€Å"Code† touches almost every aspect of everyday life in Babylonya. As the prologue states, the laws were supposedly written â€Å"to promote the welfare of the people,†¦to cause just to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil, that the strong might not oppress the weak† ( The Human Record, p 12). Furthermor e, just like a real Law Code, each â€Å"law† is written in the form of conditional sentence: in which the phrase is introduced by a certain condition, â€Å"if† and the consequence follows â€Å"then†. Another fact makes Hammurabi’s â€Å"Code† so similar to the U.S. Constitutional Law Code is that it follows specific order, consisting of separate â€Å"chapters† associated with similar issues. For instance;† The Administration of Justice† â€Å"chapter† is followed by â€Å"Felons and Victums†, which is in turn followed by â€Å"chapter† that talks about â€Å"Property† issues.

Korean Culture vs. Australian Culture

Korean and Australian culture seem to have only a few similarities, as Australia is a western country and Korea is an Asian country, and because of the different history, characters of people, and differences In surroundings. However, I am sure that there are a lot of similar features that people in both countries might have overlooked.In this paper, I will focus on finding the similarities and differences tenet Korean and Australian cultures especially In sports, food and humor. First, sport is an example in the side of similarities of the two cultures between Korea and Australia. People In both countries are also extremely enthusiastic sports fans. When they have the Grand Final of the Australian Football competition, thousands of people gather together in the stadium and at public places to watch the game and support their own team. On the other hand, Koreans did not used to watch the games in public spaces or in restaurants before the 2002 World Cup.However, since then, the cult ure of watching the sports has totally changed. There were huge crowds of people everywhere. Including the public and the street, and they supported the Korean team together. It has become a new trend to get together to support the games of Korean national teams, like in Australia. Second, food, however, falls into the category of cultural difference of two countries. Koreans and Australians have a difference in terms of food. Australian present-day styles of eating are based on their multi-cultural society.Since the post- war immigrants came to Australia, the Australian food has become rich because the immigrants from various European countries brought a wide variety of food – from Italy. Greece and Poland and so mom On the other hand. Korea Is very famous, all over the world, for its unique spicy food. Korea has had success in keeping many kinds of traditional foods alive until today. Many tourists come to Korea because they want to try the food. Normally, Korean foods are also very hot and salty due to lots of different spicy ingredients.Finally, humor Is also In the category of cultural difference between Korea and Australia. The reason is that Australian Humor is very dry. Australians often express their subtle and sarcastic mind through humor. Their humor is also often droll and sometimes black which means they make Jokes that are dark or horrible. Australians often keep a ‘straight face' when they tell a Joke. Besides, Australians like to laugh at themselves including their character and culture. In contrast to Australians, Koreans normally make Jokes by teasing each other because other people have different mints of view and do not belong to their group.And Korean like ‘slap stick' comedies, which are also called a ‘sight gag, and ‘physical humor' that was very banana skin , and so on. It is true that Australia and Korea still have a lot more differences in terms of culture than similarities. Australia and Korea are not c lose and most people are not acquainted with the other's culture. But, if we keep an eye on each other's cultural features, we could have a good opportunity to not only develop our life and culture but also to help develop good relationships between the two countries.

Free Essays on Eva

Situational Analysis and Key Facts Mr. John Duckworth is the president and controlling shareholder of Duckworth Industries. In 1992 he decided that a change was needed in Duckworth’s management incentive program. The new plan would benefit both shareholders and managers and would also keep Duckworth at the forefront of incentive programs. He is a deep believer in incentives to motivate employees. In 1950’s he took over a plant that had an operating loss of $2.7 million a year and implemented what was at the time a â€Å"state of the art† incentives program. When he started his own business in 1971 sales grew from $400,000 to nearly $125 million by 1992. He has since acquired many other companies and now has 775 employees. Mr. Duckworth has six different incentive programs. These programs not only benefit upper level management, but also plant level employees with the attendance bonus. The idea of pay for performance is a key in the Duckworth family. One senior executive said that â€Å"we put incentives, within reason, behind everything we can.† To compliment the attendance bonus there is also a quality incentive for plant and shift supervisory levels, while all employees benefit from the profit-sharing plan. Employees receive separate checks for incentives so they can see every month how performance benefits them. The senior management team had other incentives above and beyond the incentives of all the other employees. Senior managers had an annual incentive compensation program and a long-term incentive program. Both of these plans took on dramatic changes from 1983-1992. Before 1990, the annual incentive program provided managers a bonus of up to 50% if they if certain target levels of performance were reached. These measures included things such as cash flow, sales growth, inventory turns, etc. In 1990, however, Duckworth decided to base the incentives on sales growth and profitability rather that annual targets. The i... Free Essays on Eva Free Essays on Eva Situational Analysis and Key Facts Mr. John Duckworth is the president and controlling shareholder of Duckworth Industries. In 1992 he decided that a change was needed in Duckworth’s management incentive program. The new plan would benefit both shareholders and managers and would also keep Duckworth at the forefront of incentive programs. He is a deep believer in incentives to motivate employees. In 1950’s he took over a plant that had an operating loss of $2.7 million a year and implemented what was at the time a â€Å"state of the art† incentives program. When he started his own business in 1971 sales grew from $400,000 to nearly $125 million by 1992. He has since acquired many other companies and now has 775 employees. Mr. Duckworth has six different incentive programs. These programs not only benefit upper level management, but also plant level employees with the attendance bonus. The idea of pay for performance is a key in the Duckworth family. One senior executive said that â€Å"we put incentives, within reason, behind everything we can.† To compliment the attendance bonus there is also a quality incentive for plant and shift supervisory levels, while all employees benefit from the profit-sharing plan. Employees receive separate checks for incentives so they can see every month how performance benefits them. The senior management team had other incentives above and beyond the incentives of all the other employees. Senior managers had an annual incentive compensation program and a long-term incentive program. Both of these plans took on dramatic changes from 1983-1992. Before 1990, the annual incentive program provided managers a bonus of up to 50% if they if certain target levels of performance were reached. These measures included things such as cash flow, sales growth, inventory turns, etc. In 1990, however, Duckworth decided to base the incentives on sales growth and profitability rather that annual targets. The i...

London and Bita Cycling Essay

London and Bita Cycling Essay London and Bita Cycling Essay Bita Cycling are you kidding When you are on it every thing look different . when you ride it you have a incredible joy which I can’t tell you.it is a whole new world.it changed the world. Bicycle is one of the most popular transport in UK and every one is able to understand how to use it but there are not many who can understand it, like me. because I am ridding over London’s streets. I ridded every street ,park and area in London, please join me to tell you the weirdest, unbelievable and nice story about this rainy city. When we talk about London tourists will talk about London eye or themes. When we talk about London businessmen’s will tell you about 'The Square Mile' but if you ask me I wont give you any name I will give you a bike and tell you to fallow me. My favorite street in London is baker street then I can bring you to Swiss cottage and show you every thing, you can hear heart beating of life or you can see the energy which is pumping through city you can easily get that energy because you are listening at it and mostly because you are sweaty and trying to stay at your bike and you need something to hang on it. Bike may be makes us tired, sweaty and exhausted but the breeze cool you down and dry you and the low speed of bike make you see the city in the way which people in the bus or car cant see like the old cottage which now a days is a restaurant or the bakery which is nearly to shed (older than what I expected). I will never

MGT599 MoD 5 Case Assign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MGT599 MoD 5 Case Assign - Essay Example In this paper, efforts have been made to understand whether various organizational components complement the primary strategy of the company and consequently suitable recommendations has been provided. Kraft Foods is an American company that primarily operates in North America and Canada and is one of the largest consumer packaged goods companies in the United States (US). The company was started in 1903 but it was re-launched in 2012 with a culture of collaboration and innovation. The company has a total of thirty brands selling different food items such as cheese, toppings, beverages, dressings, snacks and spreads. According to the company, at least ten brands of the company generate about $500 million in sales. The company is growing steadily and presently has approximately 22500 employees operating in the US and Canada (Kraft Foods Group, 2014a; 2014b). In this paper, the strategic position of the company along with its organizational design, organizational culture, human resource management and strategic system will be discussed in an elaborate manner. The rationale behind this attempt is to understand the efficiency of the strategy of the company and mitigate issues that are acting as barrier to strategy implementation in the company. It was ascertained from various published reports of Kraft Foods that the company has undergone major changes in recent years such as collaboration with McDonalds and multiyear licensing agreement with Keurig Green Mountain. It is assumed that such major decisions also have a strong impact on a company’s strategy and performance (Kraft Foods Group, 2014c; 2014d). The paper will evaluate various reports and articles about the company, for the purpose of analyzing various strategic developments in the company in recent years. By means of in-depth study, it is expected that the pertaining strategic issue of the company will be recognized so that appropriate recommendations can

Reflective journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Reflective journal - Essay Example The chapter focuses on the post-menopausal syndromes and myths. The chapter also deals with the concepts of rape and its causes, the causes and tendency for child molestation and reason for impotency. The rate of sexual desire in men and women and the myth regarding it is also cured and discussed. The name of the chapter suggests that the chapter is an explicit delineation of sexual tendencies and various problems, myths and irregularities attached with it. The chapter focuses on the myth regarding the loss of sexuality or desire in women during their menopausal phase. It also delineates with the myths regarding the major sexual desire in men than women and that rape is the resultant phenomena for some men having strong sexual urge. The myth regarding the psychological domination and importance regarding the concept of impotency and that the exceptional case is those of the old man who do not face it at all as it is evident in them. The concepts and myths regarding child molestation that most of them falls prey in the hands of older men are also discussed thoroughly and properly. The chapter undoubtedly cures many narrow and parochial thoughts regarding the sexualities of older men. The very normal and the subtle relations that appear as a transition in the relationships prevailing amid men and women is discussed explicitly which acts as an eye-opener for any reader unknown to all these delicacies of relationship. The common tendency of people misinterpreting and misunderstanding the reasons associated with rape and child molestation also widens our perspective regarding sexual subtleties. The ideas regarding impotency and the knowledge that allows an individual to accept the limitation called impotency is a milestone for the general thought and perception regarding sexual life. The chapter unfolds many unknown avenues pertaining to human relations based on the realm of sexuality. It throws light on the dark abbeys of narrow thoughts