The Analysis of Short Story Mabel by William Somerset...

The story under consideration entitled Mabel was written by William Somerset Maugham. William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century. He was not only a novelist but also one of the most successful dramatists and short-story writers. Maugham travelled widely to all parts of the world. He visited Russia, America, Africa, Asia. The technique of short-story writing always interested Maugham. De Maupassant and Chekhov influenced him but he adopted his own unique technique, which is characterized by realistic and psychological presentation of the events. The story in question â€Å"Mabel† develops the following plot. The author recalls the story of a man whose name was George whom he once met on his way to†¦show more content†¦The difficulties are shown like a sketch: â€Å"Mabel’s father died, the war came, George was sent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here the author uses parallel constructions accompanied by asyndeton in order to add more tempo and tension. The second structural element, complications, involves the two conflicts the story obtains. The first conflict is called man against man. Seven years later Mabel wanted to marry George and George didn’t want to marry Mabel. And the inner conflict, which George obtained is called obligation against desire. The complications are marked by the convergence of stylistic means to show the inner state of the main character. The author resorts to the semantic field of despair: â€Å"his nerve failed him†, â€Å"he felt a terrible sinking in the pit of his stomach†, George’s â€Å"knees began to wobble† and he â€Å"was seized with the courage of despair†. To underline that George was afraid to marry Mabel but it was important for the society the author uses synonyms: â€Å"then, suddenly, without warning†; juxtaposed repetition: â€Å"he couldn’t, he really couldn’t marry her†; a rhetorical question â€Å"But how could a man tell a girl a thing like that when she had been engaged to him for seven years and had come six thousand miles to marry him?†. The author employs all these stylistic means to emphasize the idea that George should be responsible for his words but he isn’t. To show that George wanted to escape the author deals with an oxymoron:

The Negro And The Racial Mountain - 976 Words

Langston Hughes was an African American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright. His works are still studies, read, and, in terms of his poems and plays, performed. He is best known for being a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Within his works, he depicted black America in manners that told the truth about the culture, music, and language of his people. Besides his many notable poems, plays, and novels, Hughes also wrote essays such as The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain which Hughes gives insight into the minds of middle-class and upper-class Negroes. Prior to reading this essay, I never heard of, nor did I know, Langston Hughes composed essays, much less an essay that outwardly depicts aspects of life that most are accustomed to and see nothing wrong with. The Negro and the Racial Mountain formulated this view that Langston Hughes was more than a poet who wrote about jazz music as he is depicted within grade school textbooks, but instead, a man who had a great passion for the African American race to develop a love for themselves and for non-African American audiences to begin to understand how the African American race can be strong and creative despite struggles that may be occur. There is a possibility that this essay, The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, is not more commonly known because it has the ability to make the reader uncomfortable, no matter if he is an African American or white. For the African American, one can find himself reflecting backShow MoreRelatedThe Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain878 Words   |  4 Pages† and â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,† he describes the social and economic disconnect between white and black Americans that he observed and experienced throughout his life. Both essays highlight the strong feeling of â€Å"otherness† that black culture felt—there is a clear divide between black and white cultures. â€Å"Who’s Passing for Who?† tells the story of a white couple who are pretending to be part black in an attempt to experience an authentic night out in Harlem. â€Å"The Negro Artist andRead MoreThe Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain873 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† (1926) The article â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† by Hughes (1926), the author shows a situation that the African Americans felt underestimated for being black and attempted to embrace whites’ culture. This was because white people looked down on them during that era. He shows this by expressing his disappointment with a statement made by one of the most promising of the young Negro poets who says that, â€Å"I want to be a poet not a Negro poet,†Read MoreChallenges in The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain by Langston Hughes2027 Words   |  8 Pages In the words taken from the essay â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,† Langston Hughes offers insightful statements that verge on the boundary of being, in a sense, challenges. He is directly confronting the implicit wariness of social stratification in that he dismisses the societal need for humans to conform and to adopt personalities and views for themselves that are significantly molded by the outside world. Langston Hughes is saying that humans, no matter their circumstance or originRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain ``1075 Words   |  5 Pagescollaboration and publishing while simultaneously establishing the ideal era for artists to fight for the unification and acceptance of black identity. Therefore, in this context, Langston Hughes’s animosity toward Countee Cullen in â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† seems eloquent and justifiable when Hughes obscurely claims that the black poe t who wishes he were a poet is subconsciously saying, â€Å"I wish I were white† by means of supporting black progress. Hughes argues that his desire to be â€Å"aRead MoreThe Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain : The Manifesto For Artists Of The Harlem Renaissance1787 Words   |  8 PagesBowen 7 Sunteasja Bowen Harlem Renaissance Dr. Bracks 2 March 2017 The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain: The Manifesto for Artists of the Harlem Renaissance ​The Norton Anthology of African American Literature suggests that the Harlem Renaissance was the â€Å"irresistible impulse of blacks to create boldly expressive art of a high quality as a primary response to their social conditions, as an affirmation of their dignity and humanity in the face of poverty and racism† (953). The Harlem RenaissanceRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes Poem, The Negro Artist And The Racial Mountain Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagescanon of poetry, especially those influenced by different racial and ethnic backgrounds. To demonstrate my point, in this essay I shall be discussing in detail Langston Hughes and his piece Poem and why it should be included in the Norton Anthology of Poetry. I will contrast and compare it with Christina Rossetti’s Remember, and back up my arguments with selected quotes from Langston Hughes’ essay ‘The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain’. To begin, Langston Hughes’ ‘Poem’ is an example of howRead MoreThe Negro Speaks Of Rivers1548 Words   |  7 Pagesintroduced him to the poetry of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, both whom Hughes would later cite as primary influences. By the time Hughes was enrolled at Columbia University in New York, he had already launched his literary career with his poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† in the Crisis, edited by W.E.B. DuBois. He also committed himself to writing mainly about African Americans. Leaving Columbia in 1922, Hughes spent the next three years in a succession of menial jobs and traveling abroad. He returnedRead MoreWhat Is The Negro s Racial Identity?940 Words   |  4 PagesNegro’s Racial Identity? Racial identity growth has speedily increased and reshaped during the Harlem Renaissance as some blacks writers were coming to terms with the fact that there some differences among the black community. Two writers created their own personal translation concerning the Negro in the course of these years. In Alain Locke’s essay, The New Negro, he presents the variation of the â€Å"new† and â€Å"old† Negro. On the other hand Langston Hughes essay, The Negro Artist and the Racial MountainRead MoreLangston Hughes : The Face Of Harlem Literacy1147 Words   |  5 Pagesblack Americans were never popular because of the lack of originality the artwork had (Leach 36). He believed black art was so unsuccessful in America because of its lack of originality and distance from the artist. In his essay â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain† he expresses his ideas on the black artist. Langston Hughes was brought up by his grandmother, Mary Langston, in Joplin, Missouri where he was born on February 1st, 1902. (Leach 1) His father had moved to Mexico after he and his motherRead MoreThe I Have A Dream Speech By Martin Luther King Essay1323 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Martin Luther King Speech More than 40 years ago, in August 1963, Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His soaring rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society became a mantra for the black community and is as familiar to subsequent generations of Americans as the US Declaration of Independence. His words proved to be a touchstone for understanding the social and political

Every Woman Is A Novel A Jest Of God Essay Example For Students

Every Woman Is A Novel :A Jest Of God Essay Rachel often addresses her thoughts to God. How does she imagine Him (Heror It)? Does Rachels concept of God change during the course of theNovel? Explain. Rachel Cameron, the heroine of A Jest of God, is not simply as anindividual literary character but as a psychological portrayal of womenof Rachels time and inclination. Even we can easily find someone who hasthe same problem Rachel has in the friends of us, or maybe in an earlymorning when we get up; stand at front of the mirror; we will suddenlyhave a idea, I am Rachel too.She has a common Cameron heritage. She is a gawky, introverted spinsterschoolteacher who has returned home to Manawaka from university inWinnipeg, upon the death of her alcoholic undertaker father NiallCameron, to care for her hypochondriac mother May. Nevertheless, thefamily resemblance is obvious: their shared Scots Presbyterian ancestry,which Laurence views as distinctively Canadian, provides an armour ofpride that imprisons her within their internal worlds, while providing adefence against the external world. To overcome that barrier betweenpersonalities, she must learn to understand and accept their heritage inorder to liberate her own identities and free herself for the future. Shemust also learn to love herself before she can love others. Rachelreceive a sentimental education through a brief love affair: as a resultof learning to empathize with their lovers, she learn to love herself andthe people she lives with. Laurences emphasis is, as always, on theimportance of love in the sense of compassion, as each of her solipsisticprotagonists develops from claustrophobia to community. The beginning of A Jest of God extends beyond its Canadian perimetersin Rachels branching imagination, both into the fairytale dream worldwhich gives depth and pathos to the disappointment and despair of herpresent and out into a wider world in time and space than the grey littletown of Manawaka. The first lines of the novel tell us everything basicto Rachels mind, her temperament, and her situation. The wind blows low, the wind blows highThe snow comes falling from the sky,Rachel Cameron says shell dieFor the want of the golden city. She is handsome, she is pretty,She is the queen of the golden city. They are not actually chanting my name, of course, I only hear it thatway from where I am watching the classroom window, because I remembermyself skipping rope to that song when I was about the age of the littlegirls out there now. Twenty-seven years ago (p. 1)The reader is engaged in sympathy with Rachel by the sadness of the gapbetween her dream-self, Queen of the Golden City, and her reality, shutin behind her classroom window, looking out and worrying about becomingan eccentric spinster, that stereotyped butt of cruel laughter. But weare also engaged by the range and the quality of Rachels imagination and it is this, continuing through the book, that holds our sympathy, ourinterest, and our increasing respect. The golden city is at first thedream world of Rachels sexual fantasies where she and her prince livehappily ever after; later in the novel it becomes identified with thegolden city of Jerusalem reinterpreted as the growth of the spirit withinthe individual, a new dispensati on which makes it possible for her to goon liveing, if not happily ever after, at least affirmatively. Rachel makes a double journey. She is just thirty-four, a frustratedspinster, outwardly in bondage to her marcelled, blue-rinsed, anxious,and superficial mother, but actually in bondage was braking of properappearances as set up in her own mind by Manawaka and its expectations. .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .postImageUrl , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:hover , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:visited , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:active { border:0!important; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:active , .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u977c2878b77a4f073ce4f945aa1720af:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Same-Sex Marriages EssayShe is afraid of life and death hangs over her always, especiallysymbolized by her dead fathers vocation, undertaking, and by thepresence underneath her home of the undertaking establishment that hadbeen her fathers. She makes a journey into her own mind and personality,and finally she dares to act upon what she finds there. A Jest of Godis a record of a tortured but unremittingly honest journey ofself-analysis and self-therapy. (George Bowering, That Fool of a Fear)It is both complicated and daring, in terms of the novelists techniques. The present, the past, the questionings and fantasies of Rachel are allwoven together instead of being completely separated and counterpointedas in the former work. All the strands come together in

Saltaire a typical model village Essay Example

Saltaire a typical model village Essay Model villages began to appear around Britain in the late 1700s as a way for employers to provide for their workforce. One of the first examples was Cromford in Derbyshire. They were model in the sense the houses were laid out in a plan rather than springing up in any available space, which was the norm in towns at the time. They also kept to a set standard of housing which was advanced when compared to the industrial cities counterpart where houses were often split into several small rooms which were rented out to individual families, or even groups of people. Model villages on the other hand worked to prevent overcrowding from happening. These villages were built by companies or single businessmen for the benefit of the workers, and therefore themselves. As most villages were connected to the industry that was owned by these men.. The houses in these villages had affordable rent and were often far more sanitary and a lot less over crowded than in the cities (though to todays standards they may seem cramped and compacted at the time they were revolutionary). Saltaire and Bourneville are examples of these villages. Saltaire was built by Titus Salt, owner of many wool mills to house his many workers. He built a new large mill just outside Bradford to begin his new business venture with Alpaca wool and the adjacent town was to home his workforce. It was bordered by the River Aire and by rail lines as well as the Leeds-Liverpool canal (useful for importing the Alpaca wool). The rest of the area was surrounded by greenfield. The town originally had 820 homes built to accommodate 4.389à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and provided the workers with a hospital, almshouses (retirement homes) complete with pension, park areas and also schools where children could study either part time, if working in the mill or on a more day to day basis. It also provided the inhabitants with churches and communal washrooms. We will write a custom essay sample on Saltaire a typical model village specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Saltaire a typical model village specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Saltaire a typical model village specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer All homes also had a flushing outdoor toilet attached to a proper drainage system and fresh water was pumped in from the clean canal waters which were well away from the pollution of the cities. Most of the homes also had some kind of yard or garden area. There were also varying types of accommodation built to reflect status. Skilled workers and foremen had larger homes with larger garden areas than unskilled workers, and single male and female workers were housed in dormitory style buildings of same sex only. Titus Salt also created The Institute which was basically a large recreational centre for his workers. It included a laboratory, library, concert hall, lecture theatre and gymnasium. A small shopping parade was also built to cater for his employees needs. Saltaire is a typical model village because of its grid-iron pattern. The majority of the houses were built in long terraced blocks ranging in size and height to give The way in which the dwellings were arranged to maintain the welfare of the workforce, which was something that Titus Salt had always had great interest in, and yet also to give the workers a feeling of security and a better quality of life. Salts interest also lay in the fact that a healthy workforce and one that had little way to travel to work would also be more productive. He kept his workers in a good state of health with the aid of the grid-iron pattern which spaced houses out enough to prevent overcrowding and to give people their own dwellings whilst also providing them with sanitation and clean water which were almost unheard of in the city itself. The pattern of housing also managed to give people social status with the larger homes with more gardens being closer to the mill. Titus Salt carefully managed rent to make sure that the employees could easily afford it on their wages. Another way in which he improved the lives of his workers was by the way that he created far better working conditions. This was one of the main principals behind the creation of model villages in the first case. Saltaire was built with the workforce in mind and Titus Salt tried to provide for them in everyway possible. He intended to also build a market, hotel and abattoir. Another way in which Titus Salt shows that he looked after his workers is the mess hall where workers could go and have lunch provided for them. This was based just opposite the mill, however there was a direct passage to the hall covered to keep workers dry, and maybe also perhaps to stop people from delaying. Saltaire is thought to be one of the greatest remaining examples of a model village as it has been relatively unchanged over the years. Its recent elevation to World Heritage Site is making sure that renovations are being completed and that it does not lose anymore of its originality. Although some areas no longer maintain their original purposes, for example the hospital which has now been turned into flats the basic idea behind Saltaire can still easily be seen when visited. Saltaire is now no longer home to mill operators as the mill ceased to function some years ago and now is a gallery displaying David Hockneys work and the home of the Bradford Health Authority.

Ralph Ellison Essays - Literature, Fiction, , Term Papers

Ralph Ellison The Invisible Man Ralph Ellison manages to develop a strong philosophy through characterization in the Invisible Man. Ellison portrays the lonely narrator's quest in struggling to search for his identity and an understanding of his times. The well development of the character lays out the foundation on the philosophy of finding and understanding himself. Through a labyrinth of corruption and deceit the narrator undergoes events that manage to enrich his experience and further contribute in his search for himself. Such scenes include the battle royal scene, the college, Trueblood's visit, and the blueprint seller. The narrator at first never realizes his innocence. At first the timid Invisible Man is invited to attend his scholarship award ceremony. However with other Negroes he is rushed to the front of the ballroom where a stripper frightens them by dancing in nude. After staging the "battle royal" and attacking one another in response to the drunken shouts of the rich white folk, the boy is brought to give his prepared oration of gratitude to the white benefactors. An accidental remark to equality nearly ruins him, but the narrator manages to survive and is given a briefcase containing a scholarship to a Negro college. This acts a high peak in the narrator's quest since it sets him for his struggle in searching for himself. The narrator adores the college however is thrown out before long by its president, Dr.Bledsoe, the great educator and leader of his race. Ironically the narrator had seen Dr.Bledsoe as an idol aiming to gradually impersonate him. He was expelled for permitting, Mr.Norton , one of the college founders into the slave quarters and the Golden Day bar. After that incident the Invisible Man goes through the sense that he is losing his identity. This initiates an air of confusion as the narrator is now brought in a quarrel against himself. In the prologue the Invisible Man quotes, "I was na?ve...I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which only I could answer." The narrator is tempted to set out in the quest to search for his identity. The prologue identified the theme to the readers. It was however during Trueblood's visit that the character manages to learn about his true background and roots. It is through such people, of his true Southern nature, that the narrator glimpses a view on himself. This is true also when the Invisible Man encounters the blueprint seller who sang the blues, a common song of the south. Although the Invisible Man was in the North, he still found himself clinging on to the southerner, since he was of his similar race. If the narrator succeeds in finding his own identity then he will definitely be truthful to himself and the others. By finding his identity the narrator has ensured friendships and encounters with many people, since loneliness will be avoided. The Invisible Man's identity ensured him that he had opposed the idea of manipulating the whites as "Gods" or "Forces" through the "grins" and "yesses" while the whites manage to achieve their destiny through their control over him. Through characterization Ellison has managed to reveal his philosophy that dealt with struggling to find one's identity. The characters have been developed in a sense that has them reflect one another's traits and personalities. Through many encounters the narrator begins to set out to find who he truly is. By questioning his everyday living the narrator manages to progress in the quest to achieve his goal.

Learn About the U.S. Presidential Oath of Office

Learn About the U.S. Presidential Oath of Office Since George Washington first said the words on April 30, 1789, as prompted by Robert Livingston Chancellor of State of New York, every President of the United States has repeated the following simple presidential oath of office as part of the inauguration ceremony: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. The oath is worded and administered in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that â€Å"Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:† Who May Administer the Oath? While the Constitution does not stipulate who should administer the oath to the president, this is typically done by the Chief Justice of the United States. Constitutional law experts agree that the oath could also be administered by a judge or official of the lower federal courts. For example, 30th President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, then a Justice of the Peace and notary public in Vermont. Currently, Calvin Coolidge remains the only president to be sworn in by anyone other than a judge. Between 1789 (George Washington) and 2013 (Barack Obama), the oath has been administered by 15 Associate Justices, three federal judges, two New York state judges, and one notary public. Hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, U.S. District Court Judge Sarah T. Hughes became the first woman to administer the oath when she swore in Lyndon B. Johnson onboard Air Force One in Dallas, Texas. Forms of Administering the Oath Over the years, the presidential oath has been administered in two ways. In one form now rarely used, the person administering the oath posed it in the form of a question, as in, â€Å"Do you George Washington solemnly swear or affirm that ‘you’ will †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In its modern form, the person administering the oath poses it as an affirmative statement, with the incoming president repeating it verbatim, as in, â€Å"I, Barak Obama do solemnly ‘swear’ or ‘affirm that ‘I’ will †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Use of Bibles Despite the First Amendment’s â€Å"Establishment Clause† guaranteeing the separation of church and state, incoming presidents traditionally take the oath of office while raising their right hands while placing their left hands on Bible or other books of special – often religious significance to them. John Quincy Adams held a law book, indicating his intention to base his presidency on the Constitution. President Theodore Roosevelt did not use a bible while taking the oath in 1901. After George Washington kissed the bible he held while taking the oath, most other presidents have followed suit. Dwight D. Eisenhower, however, said a prayer rather than kissing the Bible he was holding. Use of the Phrase ‘So Help Me God’ Use of â€Å"So help me God† in the presidential oath calls into question the constitutional requirement for separation of church and state. Enacted by the First U.S. Congress, the Judiciary Act of 1789 explicitly required â€Å"So help me God† to be used in the oaths of all U.S. federal judges and other officers other than the president. In addition, the words of the presidential oath - as the only oath specifically spelled out in the Constitution - do not include the phrase. While not required by law, most presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt have added the phrase â€Å"So help me God† after reciting the official oath. Whether presidents before Roosevelt added the words is a source of debate among historians. Some say that both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln used the phrase, but other historians disagree. Much of the ‘So help me God’ debate hinges on the two manners in which the oath has been given. In the first, no longer used manner, the administrating official frames the oath as a question, as in â€Å"Do you Abraham Lincoln solemnly swear†¦,† which seems to demand an affirmative response. The current form of â€Å"I do solemnly swear (or affirm)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  demands a simple response of â€Å"I do† or â€Å"I swear.† In December 2008, atheist Michael Newdow, joined by 17 other people, plus 10 atheist groups, filed a lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Columbia against Chief Justice  John Roberts seeking to prevent the Chief Justice from saying â€Å"so help me God† in the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Newdow argued that the 35 words of the Constitution’s official presidential oath do not include the words. The District Court refused to issue an injunction preventing Roberts from using the phrase, and in May 2011, the U.S.  Supreme Court refused Newdows request to hear the case.   What About the Vice Presidents Oath? Under current federal law, the Vice President of the United States recites a different oath of office as follows: â€Å"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.† While the Constitution specifies that the oath taken by the vice president and other government officials states their intention to uphold the Constitution, it does not specify the exact wording of the oath. Traditionally, the vice president’s oath has been administered by the Chief Justice on inauguration day on the floor of the Senate shortly before the president-elect is sworn in.

Current Issues in Corporate Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Current Issues in Corporate Reporting - Essay Example The core mandate of integrated reporting therefore is to gather information about an organizations strategy, its governance, future prospects and performance in a manner that reflects the structure it operates in terms of the commercial, environmental and social context. It is meant to be an organizations most important reporting tool (ACCA (GREAT BRITAIN), 2010). Its aim is to create a formula for accounting for sustainability, bringing together governance, social, environmental and finance in a cohesive way. In order to achieve its mandate and to be welcomed internationally as the standard reporting method, the international integrated reporting committee had a representation from different parts of the corporate world (Eccles & Krzus, 2010).These includes the civil society, the investment sectors, accounting, the academic front, standard setting sectors, the regulatory sector as well as the security sector. It also has task forces that deal with content development, governance, engagement and communication as well as a working group and a steering committee. This report therefore broadly discusses the need for integrated reporting and the challenges that were met when constituting such reporting methods during the 2011 international integrated reporting committee meeting. Corporates need to achieve financial development, sustainability and improved performance while reporting on their corporate performance. Against the background of this, previous reporting did not manage to yield such objectives (Bennett, Burritt& Schaltegger, 2006). In fact, it exposed some businesses to their bare minimum since companies were revealing most of their financial details while yet they did not achieve improved performance that they expected. This therefore necessitated the need for a new framework for corporate reporting that

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Case study - Essay Example On the pricing side, it is necessary to know what the prices should be, and what the price customers are willing to pay is. The company should be in a position to offer value addition to products and services, in order to enhance sustainability, and sustain a strong and consistent customer base. Products need to be designed according to the requirements of the customers, and the materials should conform to quality and pricing standards. After the transformation of the raw materials into finished goods through the manufacturing processing, these are packed and shipped to the various customers. It is important that the company receive relevant feedbacks from the manufacturing, suppliers, logistics and most significantly from the customers. It is necessary to offer the most economical and competitive prices to the customers, by reducing costs and increasing margins to the optimum level and also ensuring high quality products through satiation of the demands of the customers. The demand and supply aspects of the company should be continually increased, so as to be able to offer enhanced supplies for catering to a large demand for the products and services offered to the customers. (Produce best product, lowest cost). The Manugistics views are that there should be an integrated approach to the supplier relationship management and the supply chain management by strengthening pricing and optimizing revenue generation. It is therefore to be ensured that increased levels of demand side and the supply side of marketing are aimed at; thereby the pricing and optimization aspects could be taken care of. However, it is necessary to have complete knowledge about the customers’ profiles, including segmentation of markets based on the ‘ability to pay’ concept. (Produce best product, lowest cost). The best product mix provided to product locations

Scheduling and Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scheduling and Implementation - Essay Example It is almost like a unexplainable process for the choosing appropriate deadlines for appropriate tasks. It is like estimating the time based on some features and historical factors in correspondence with the task. When the exact deadlines are not given, this is the method that is chosen to estimate the deadline. If planning is done properly, the project scheduling can almost help in accurately meeting the deadlines. (Haugna 65-68) The networks are not only used to identify the time and material factors. The usage of resources for each task and their allocations can be well planned if proper networking techniques are followed. Simple networking techniques like Gantt charts could help in a large way in identifying the quantity of resources required. Network analysis also helps in maintaining a constant work time for all resources and also ensures equal amount of distribution of work. It helps in identifying the activity times , The resources required for each activity, resources that are available in each category and any other management level restrictions. (Lucey 403) Total float in a project schedule is the delay of performing an activity. This delays the activities that succeed the delaying activity. The delay in total float is allowed by ensuring that it does not affect the total project time. IndependeIndependent Float Independent float of an activity in a project is the slack in the entire scheduling of the corresponding activities. The preceding activity is assumed to begin late and the succeeding activity is assumed to start early. Free Float In a project schedule, the free float is defined as the maximum delay in the performance of the corresponding activity without disturbing the schedule of the succeeding activity. Remaining Float In a project schedule the activities may be scheduled to begin late. In this situation the remaining float is the maximum amount of speed permitted in the work of an activity. It is made sure that it does not affect the activity that precedes the particular activity. This does not reduce the duration of activity, but working on the particular activity even before it starts its execution. (Lock 80) Why should an organization be charted An organization should be charted to know the structure of the organization. It depicts the internal relationship between the various departments and the employees. The organization chart clearly shows the employees and their hierarchy. It is also used to represent the people working in a particular team. Charting an organization will define the roles and responsibilities of each and every employee in that organization. It helps in establishing the strategies for team work and assists in the decision making process. (Lock 100) Discuss the importance of personal agreement and commitment to a schedule. Once a schedule is planned and designed it should be followed. There should be a commitment to the planned schedule. If any of the activity in a schedule is modified or altered, it will definitely affect the other activities in the schedule. This will result in the time delay of the project which in turn will affect

A Discussion On Police Discretion Criminology Essay

A Discussion On Police Discretion Criminology Essay Domestic violence, is associated with a series of long term physical problems alongside it will have also psychological factors which is a serious health problem. The growing concerns of violence against woman caused the increase of more police officers to take extra shifts to cover the victims of domestic violence. However, with that the police also has to implement a great deal of discretion. The police department will give the officers indirectly or clearly the choice what laws they want to enforce and when, most of the time police officers already know which cases prosecutors will keep and which ones the judge will convict. In some cases police officers have already been persuaded from many of the last cases they had to deal with, which kind of makes their decision easier. Research shows that most of the arrests are made by the officers if there was physical harm done. Domestic violence is a growing issue and it has an impact on may different individuals such as, partners, parents, children, and extended family members. In many cases domestic violence can often be fatal , but it can also be prevented and treated. Many cases include spousal battery, sexual abuse, child abuse to name a few. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also calls domestic violence intimate partner violence is well defined as physical or sexual violence or even psychological and emotional abuse that is intended to hurt a spouse, or even a current spouse (CDC, 2012). The center for disease control also defines intimate partner violence spouse abuse, battering, and even marital rape (CDC, 2012). The community and society is a perfect place and it has the ability to protect and separate the risk of such vast growing violence. Woman which is most exposed to domestic violence have two types of solutions that they are able to use. One, police officers can arrest or charge an individual and prosecutors can follow a criminal restrictive. Secondly, victims of domestic violence can also follow civil actions against the offenders by filing for a protective order in which case it can be temporary or permanent. These kinds of order can be issued to individuals that are involved in an abusive relationship, which will keep the abuser from contacting the victim. A temporary restraining order can be issued which can last up to one to two weeks, after that a mandatory hearing is set to determine the reason why the individual needs a restraining order and for how long. In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act was passed, with that the demand for police officer also grew higher to protect domes tic violence victims. At the same time more funding was passed to make it mandatory for police officers to arrest an individual based on probable cause and to determine that a crime has been committed and the person in question has committed the actual crime. Additionally, the enactment of the primary offender concept and a speedy prosecution were also ordered by the state. With that the increase in domestic violence arrest was rising to 30 percent and higher. The federal government spends a large amount of money, to encourage local areas to cure the cause of domestic violence and to treat it as a serious crime and to attack these kinds of crimes with force. There are many other states that are now passing the law to make it mandatory for police officers to arrest individuals that are under a restraining order (Holmes, Sylvia I. Mignon William M., 1995). However, under this new law the officers can use less discretion. The study showed that incidence under that new law showed the re lations with arrests and the offending arrests are less and offending based on reports and victims story. The spectrum of the criminal justice starts with the police itself. Discretion is distinct for the officer to have the power to make his or her choice based on possible options of actions or inactions. Police officers implement a large amount of discretion that comes with their job description as a protector of the community and their safety and also for the individuals that are unable to protect themselves. There is a plethora of research that has been done on police discretion: it lists as many as 140 titles related to discretion of the police in criminal justice alone and the the way discretion is used and how it affects their decision making. There are many factors to consider that might influence police discretion when arresting individuals such as, race ethnicity and how serious the offense is (Justice, U.S. Department of, 1999). There has been many debates on the advantages and disadvantages of a mandatory arrest and it depends on three main questions. One, will mandatory arrests increase or decrease the violence for victims? Two, will mandatory arrests encourage or discourage victims, and lastly should domestic violence be treated the same way as a violent crime (Barata, Paula C; Schneider, Frank, 2004)? Increase or decrease, the argument in support of mandatory arrest for violence can be decreased due to the warning signs that are affected by the abuser. This means that abusers will learn to control their violent behavior due to the fact that they are afraid of future arrests. Studies have shown that mandatory arrests will control domestic violence. However, in some other studies the increase of domestic violence has been noticed when following the mandatory arrest procedure, and most of the victims were unmarried or the abuser was unemployed (Barata, Paula C; Schneider, Frank, 2004). In this case it led s ome to believe that mandatory arrests do not work on lowering the domestic violent crimes on the contrary it actually escalated the violence for some victims. Empowerment or disempowerment, has the possibility that mandatory arrests may disempower a victim or survivor, because it take the womans right away to make her own decision to a much more powerful court system that has not been exactly the sensitive womans rights (Barata, Paula C; Schneider, Frank, 2004). There are also many reasons why an abused woman may not want to follow through with the abusers arrest, for the following reason; she might be afraid of retaliation, financial issues that it might cause to name a few. Certainly, a court system has the assumption that the victim does not what might be best for the family and to a victim that might come across as condescending. In some cases there was also an increase of concern that there might be a dual arrest under the mandatory arrest law. What makes matters worse is when a victim is arrested that would be a great disempowerment. However, it has been used in the past that when the empowerment of a woman is taken away , the implementation of a mandatory arrest is placed. So by letting the victim have some empowerment it will ensure that her complaint is taken seriously, which makes her think her police is on her side. Some believe that mandatory arrests empower women by limiting police discretion and that leads to a non bias arresting. It is also noted that woman who has increased empowerment which is more likely in woman that are a minority, they are more likely to use the police services to stop violent crimes from happening. (Barata, Paula C; Schneider, Frank, 2004) noted that for instance family violence shoulcategorizeded differently then stranger sault. Some believe that police officers should only handle only very dangerous crimes, and that the rest of the crimes should be handled outside the criminal system like privet counseling. Mandatory arrest laws need to be replaced with organized police discretion, which include using the victims decision and using it for example taking the item to a safe place like shelter or such. Some say hat revoking of the mandatory arrest law would make things worse in controlling domestic violence, and would return the violence to its normal stage. Criminalizing domestic violence will send a big message to the public that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The mandatory arrest debate produced a lot of attention for much of the problem of policing and domestic violence. However, whether or not it is beneficial to have a mandatory arrest law for victims of domestic violence remains questionable. After carefully observing the evidence pertaining to the violence issue, it has generated inconsistent findings in the conclusion. Two of the findings on the issues of arrests whether or not it empowers or disempowers victims of domestic violence, is an issue that might be better off if it is dealt with inside/outside the criminal justice system. But it has still to be examined with research and it is mainly a speculation. There is still important information that is yet to be studied, and that is the victims themselves, and how they preserve the mandatory arrest law. Do victims of domestic violence care about the enactment of the mandatory arrest and what do they observe as being an advantage or disadvantage of the action. Whether victims feel t hreatened or safer with this particular law and are they more inspired or discouraged is the question. In recent times victims of domestic violence were clearly not in a talking mood. Fortunately, there has been an outpouring of research in recent years that has studied victims and their presumption of the criminal justice system. There has been only a few studies that show the consideration for victims and the support for a mandatory arrest (Barata, Paula C; Schneider, Frank, 2004). It has shown that most of the victims are supporting the mandatory law not necessarily for them but for the other individuals benefit. Though, either one of the studies dug deep enough into the above mentioned issues that have been stressed in the debate about mandatory arrest. It is the strategic effect on the levels of violence, of empowerment and if it demonstrates that domestic violence is looked at as a serious crime. The main influence of this study is that it goes much further into the question i f victims care for the mandatory arrest law and it also examines the view on the issues. This study is also useful to see how flexible as well as not so flexible the study is. The main idea of this study is to find out what victims think of the mandatory arrest law and if it has an advantage or a disadvantage. The main point is to find out to what degree victims support this kind of law. Individuals have been asked in the study if the mandatory arrest is sufficient enough to keep violent offenders away from victims and the second question was should domestic violence be treated as other violent crimes. Additionally, the support for mandatory arrest was also measured if it was mainly for the victims own case in terms of domestic violence or if it was measured in a general sense. Results showed which was expected that victims supported the policy for domestic violence very strongly for more general purpose than for their own cases. It is clear that many of the participants in this above study are more interested in the benefit that it helps other individuals before it helps the victims itself. As mentioned at the beginning domestic violence has long term physical problems alongside it will have also psychological factors which is a serious health problem. Which make police discussion a huge problem in some cases it is whether to arrest some offenders and permit others to keep taking part in criminal misconduct. It is the way police departments implement this discretion and what consequences it might have in the long run. However, when police officers have to tackle a domestic violent case it can be very stressful for an officer, because they only have a split second to think. When officers have little to no time to think it makes it very hard to determine what kind of discretion is appropriate and what is not. In many cases it is very hard to make this kind of decision on a short notice, however as mentioned above many of the officers already have a hunch from previous cases if the victim is saying things for their own personal gain or if they are telling the truth. In conclusion all of the above main issues mentioned earlier on mandatory arrests were addressed to variable degrees in individuals that participated in the open ended response. Much of the studies that took place was very encouraging because it showed that the discussion are important for the victims concerns. However, in recent research it was highlighted that some issues such as, the effects it had on supporting or non supporting of mandatory arrests. Domestic violence was certainly a noticeable concern for many of the victims in this study, though it was not their first priority in their decision to support this kind of policy. For that reason, it would be a mistake to use the study to increase or decrease in domestic violence to measure the achievement or the disappointment of the issue. Many other similar studies have been conducted, and many of the women participating in this study felt that mandatory arrests are very important. Which is quite a lucky break because in many cou ntries and other states the mandatory arrest law is already in place. What was most important in this particular study was the fact that many of the individuals sheds light on many of the reasons why monetary arrests should be made to save the victims. Even though some have issues with the mandatory arrest laws and some do not the best way to figure out the pros and cons on this issue to have the victims of domestic violence decide what is best for the individual crime. The officer will always face issues when it comes to arrests but it is for the individual officer to decide whether to arrest an abuser or whether to listen to both parties to make the right judgement call.

Identity Crises in A Separate Peace :: A Separate Peace Essays

World War II, the major historical event during the life of John Knowles, the author of A Separate Peace, started in 1939. Germany instigated the war, and shortly afterward was joined by Japan and Italy. America, however, fought on the side of The Allies, England and France. Although the United States was still recovering from the Great Depression, it entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The military drafted men into the war, and women took their places in the work force, people abandoned the old way of life and looked forward to a new one. American literature reflects this transition, as the novels written in the post-war period are far more ambitious, expanding past the bounds of traditional literature. Modernism, a major movement at that time, was stimulated by World War II, severing ties with the past and embracing the changes of the future. *Knowles in A Separate Peace illustrates the identity crisis of teenage boys with Gene Forrester?s hypocrisy, P hineas? duality, and Elwin Lepellier?s insanity. Knowles reveals Gene?s hypocritical love towards his closest friends, especially Phineas (Finny). Gene attends every meeting of Finny?s ?Super Suicide Society? during the summer session, even though Gene would much rather be studying. Gene wants to do well in school and is resentful of Finny always pulling him away from his books, however, instead being honest with Finny, Gene behaves as though he enjoys the meetings. Gene, an adolescent struggling to be sincere in his relationships, says, ?I went along, I never missed a meeting?acting against every instinct of my nature, I went without thought of protest? (Knowles 34). Gene refuses to let Finny know how he actually feels about the meetings, and despite his outward love toward Finny, Gene allows bitterness to take root inside of him. Knowles also depicts Gene?s hypocrisy through his response to Finny?s fall. After Finny falls, Gene calmly jumps from the tree branch into the Devon River. Later, when Finny is lying in a hospita l bed, Gene misleads Finny, telling Finny that he tried to help him and keep him from falling. What Gene says is false, because Gene is, in fact, guilty of causing Finny?s fall. Gene says, ?I tried, you remember? I reached out but you were gone, you went down through those little branches underneath, and when I reached out there was only air?

Pest Analysis of Russian Retail Market

PEST Analysis The PEST analysis is used in this report to evaluate the political, economic, social and technological aspects of the macroeconomic environment in the targeted market, Russia. This study helps to frame the basis for the decision-making about a possible market entry. Thus, it is of vital importance to scrutinize the macroeconomic environment as part of the market research. Political and Legal Aspects According to the Russian 1993 Constitution, Russia is a democratic federative state with a republican form of government grounded in the rule of law (pwc, 2012).After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has gradually opened up and after a seven-year transitional period with numerous market reforms, political stability was achieved under Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev. Moreover, since 1999 when Putin became president for the first time, Russia’s political system has shown continuity in its policies. The Russian judicial system is based on statutor y law, but has been ineffective and weak since the fall of the Soviet Union. However, the introduction of many reforms is expected to eventually bring about improvements.Russia has also entered various legal assistance programs with countries across the world, as unfair competition practices are hindering FDI inflows into the country (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012). However, corruption and crime are still major challenges for doing business in Russia. Russia has been ranked 143rd in Transparency International’s corruption perception index of 2011 concerning perceived public sector corruption. In addition, the high degree of bureaucracy within the country makes doing business slow and complicated.The business environment is further negatively affected by the high number of corrupt state officials (Datamonitor, 2011). Terrorist activity is one of the major concerns in Russia as bomb explosions and suicide attacks (such as those in the Moscow-St. Petersburg express train in 2009 or in the Moscow metro in 2010) have killed dozens of people over the last years (Datamonitor, 2011). Russia is member in many different international, regional, economic and financial agreements such as G8, G20, and International Monetary Fund just to name a few of them. pwc, 2012) The country further integrated within the world economy by entering the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2012 (Datamonitor, 2011). Economic Aspects Russia of 2011 is characterized by a per capita GDP (PPP) of $16. 750, GDP and FDI growth of 4. 3% and 33% respectively. Furthermore, the ease of doing business in the country improved by 4 ranks between 2011 and 2012 and hence Russia is ranked 112th in 2012 (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012). Historically successful economic reforms during the 1990s led to liberalization of the Russian economy and to high growth rates.Yet, the global economic downturn beginning in 2008 led to a negative growth of 7. 7% in 2009. However, the country’s economy managed to q uickly recover, achieving a 3. 9% GDP growth in 2010, mainly due to the high oil prices (Datamonitor, 2011). Improved competitiveness and higher oil prices facilitated a turnaround in the current account, from a deficit in 1998 to a surplus of 12% of GDP in 1999. Since 2000, Russia has maintained a current account surplus, which dropped from around $102bn in 2008 to around $47bn in 2009 (Datamonitor, 2011; pwc, 2012).Current challenges in Russia’s economic landscape include a high budget deficit and a banking system being under continuous stress. Moreover, the unemployment rate of 6. 6% is another negative side of Russia’s economic landscape (Datamonitor, 2011). Social Aspects The main ethnic group within Russia is Russians with 79. 8%, while other ethnic groups include Tatar 3. 8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1. 2%, Chuvash 1. 1%, other or unspecified ones with 12. 1% (2002 census) (CIA The World Factbook, 2012).Concerning religion, estimates from 2006 suggest that 15-20% o f the population are Russian Orthodox, 10-15% are Muslim, and 2% – other Christian, yet large parts of the population are non-believers, a likely legacy from the Soviet era (CIA The World Factbook, 2012). The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) ranks Russia 66th with regards to overall human development, making Russia part of the high human development quartile. However, one major challenge within Russia is the huge gender gap concerning life expectancy.Average life expectancy is 66. 2 years, yet it is only 59. 8 years for men, while boosting 73. 1 for women (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2011; Datamonitor, 2011). Russia is estimated to be one of the fastest-growing countries concerning proportion of population to be considered middle class. (Financial Times – Chart of the week: tracking the rising EM middle classes, 2012). The related increase in disposable income can be illustrated by the tripling in middle class spending between 2000 and 2010.Howe ver, the widening income inequality may pose a challenge for long-term success (Datamonitor, 2011). In general, Russia’s current strengths concerning social development are the high level of social governmental spending and the well-educated population. However, the country still struggles with a high mortality rate and a widening income inequality gap (Datamonitor, 2011). Technological Aspects Russia has signed the TRIPS (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property) agreement, but nevertheless faces Intellectual Property Rights issues regularly.Moreover, the country still lacks adequate telecommunications infrastructure (Datamonitor, 2011). PEST Implications for the Retail Industry Russia’s political and legal framework suggests that foreign retail operations in Russia, although not restricted, may be inefficient because of bureaucracy and corruption. In addition, the usage of the ruble exposes foreign investors to exchange rate risks. The economic characteristics of the Russian market, however, paint a much more attractive picture of the industry, which represents 15. % of the country’s GDP. The Russian retail and wholesale sector has attracted 17. 1% of the country’s FDI in 2011. The country also has the lowest retailer penetration rates in Europe (pwc, 2012), suggesting it is a market in its growth stage with significant opportunity for new entrants. Yet, a recent study conducted by the management consulting group, AT Kearney, shows that Russia has fallen behind BRIC and other emerging market nations in terms of the countries’ attractiveness for investments in the retail sector.In fact, it ranks 26th out of 30 emerging market nations with regard to the attractiveness of the retail sector. As some experts argue such a ranking may reflect the strong foothold of local retailers, with such rivalry making the Russian retailer market a developed rather than an emerging one (Financial Times – Russia retail: loosing app eal, 2012) The pending commercialization of the cloud-dispersal aircraft technology may also have a positive trickledown effect on the retail industry.The technology may solve the problem of drought-prone areas, representing 6% of arable land within Russia, possibly improving domestic food production, and supplier reliability (Datamonitor, 2011; CIA The World Factbook, 2012). Overall, the country environment suggests that despite some institutional voids, the economic environment is conductive to a booming retailer segment with a growth that can be exploited by foreign retailers. The decrease in FDI attractiveness, however, points to the likely presence of established competitors that may prevent such an entry, which will be analyzed in greater detailed in the industry analysis.

Free Volunteer Income Tax Clinics Canada

Free Volunteer Income Tax Clinics Canada Updated: 03/06/2014 If you need help completing your Canadian income tax return and you cant afford an accountant or commercial income tax preparation service, take advantage of the Volunteer Income Tax Preparation Clinics offered by the Canada Revenue Agency. These free clinics are offered every year between February and April at locations across Canada. Eligibility Requirements Trained volunteers can help you with your taxes if you have a straightforward income tax return and your income is low. The program has basic eligibility requirements, including maximum income levels. Community organizations can adapt their own eligibility criteria depending on their economic location and capabilities, so check with the individual clinic. They can not help with income tax returns for: deceased individualsbankruptciescapital gains or lossesemployment expensesbusiness or rental income and expenses See Also: Filing Your Canadian Income Taxes - The BasicsHelp With Your Canadian Income Taxes

10 Companies Hiring Admins Like Crazy Right Now

10 Companies Hiring Admins Like Crazy Right Now Every company needs an administrative professional to operate the office. If you are looking to find a job in the admin field, you are in the right place. We have found 10 companies that are hiring admins like crazy right now.1. Sutherland Global ServicesEstablished in 1986,   Sutherland Global Services is a global provider of business process and technology management services. It employs over 36,000 professionals and has locations across the United States, Australia, Brazil, and other countries.See all open admin jobs  from  sutherland global services2. Quest QiagnosticsQuest Diagnostics is a leading clinical lab and offers the most extensive clinical testing network in the U.S. It employs over 10000+ professionals country wide.See all open admin jobs  from Quest Diagnostics3. Mount SinaiThe mission of the Mount Sinai Health System is to provide compassionate patient care and advance biomedical research. It employs over 6600 physicians, 12 ambulatory surgery centers, over 4 5 ambulatory practices.See all open admin jobs  from Mount Sinai4. Baylor Scott White healthBaylor Scott White Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in the state of Texas. The organization includes 56 hospitals, more than 5,800 active physicians, and over 40,000 employees.See all open admin jobs  from Baylor Scott White Health5. SobeysEstablished in 1907, Sobeys is one of only two national grocery retailers in Canada. Sobeys hires over 124,000 employees all over the country.See all open admin jobs  from Sobeys6. VHAVHA home healthcare (VHA) is a not-for-profit chartiable organization, providing health care and support services to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. it also employs over 2000 staff and service providers.See all open admin jobs  from VHA7. LowesLowes is a home improvement company and has stores across United States, Canada and Mexico. Lowes has more than 1,840 home improvement and hardware stores and hires over 265,000 employees.Se e all open admin jobs  from Lowes8. Express ScriptsExpress Scripts is a prescription benefit plan provider and manages prescriptions for over 100 million Americans. Express Scripts hires over 10,000 employees across the country.See all open admin jobs  from Express Scripts9. Air Force Personnel CenterAFPC executes programs covering the entire life cycle of military and civilian personnel for the air force and ensures commanders around the world have the right number of skilled air forced personnel to conduct the mission.See all open admin jobs  from Air Force Personnel Center10. Hudsons BayFound in 1670, Hudsons Bay is North Americas longest continually operated company. It has more than 460 stores and employs over 66,000 staff around the world.See all open admin jobs  from Hudsons Bay

Excessive Force Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Excessive Force - Essay Example This essay will summarize the incident, analyze the use of force and will look into measures to prevent police misconduct. Police Officer Edward Krawetz was convicted of a felony assault in March 2012 for the use of excessive force. â€Å"Officer Krawetz was caught on video kicking Donna Levesque (suspect) in the face, while she sat on a curb, handcuffed, in May 2009† (Allen, 2012). Although Krawetz claimed self-defense, the video clearly showed the officer kicking Levesque hard after she kicked him. Other officers at the scene agreed that Officer Krawetz was never in danger. After a trial, Karawetz was sentenced to a 10 year suspension without pay and to undergo counseling. In addition, the police department served him with a notice of termination. He will appear to a board hearing made up with three panel officers in accordance with the Officer Bill of Rights on a later date. According to Eyewitness News 12, it was reported that the incident was Karawetz’s second conviction (Daly, 2012). Officer Krawetz was previously convicted for a misdemeanor assault in 2001. Given the outcome of Kara wetz’s actions, it can be assumed that termination from service was something that Karawetz was expecting. Regardless of the reason leading to the arrest of a suspect, police officers are required to demonstrate integrity beyond approach (Ortmeier, 2006). Officers should never use unnecessary force or violence unless the situation necessitates it. Although there is no standard operating procedure for evaluating excessive force when subduing a suspect, common sense plays a good role when apprehending a suspect after employing handcuffs. The Constitution and other laws place limits on how far the police can enforce the law using appropriate measures. The use of excessive force should be as low as possible unless the officer is being threatened or in danger. According to Segan’s (2012)

Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Safety - Essay Example Hence, it is important that all business, large, medium as well as small have an occupational health and safety system in place within the organization. The most prevalent occupational health and safety standard which is in existence today is the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series OHSAS 18001standard, which is suited to many organizations large and small. It has been implemented in many countries including the United States of America, Great Britain, Japan etc with the support of the local standards institutes. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Chrysler have all thrown their lot with this standard which is also supported by the British Standards Institute. In the absence of an International Standards Organization or ISO standard, the OHSAS standard is the one widely accepted standard recognized all across the world. In this brief essay, an attempt has been made to investigate how a newly started small business may be able to set itself on the path to incorporating the OHSAS 180 01 based occupational health and safety management system within its broader system of corporate management. Implementing an occupational health and safety system is important in a business because the business has legal responsibilities to provide for the safety and welfare of its employees. Unsafe working environment is in the long run counter productive for those who have interests in a business organization, including the stakeholders, employees and perhaps even those with business dealings with the company. An occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) provides a framework for managing the occupational health and safety responsibilities of a business so that they become more efficient and more integrated into overall business operations. Faced with such responsibilities, it is important for a company to try and follow an established standard related to safety and occupational health in its business operations. Many countries have been waiting for the

Bad News Message Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bad News Message - Assignment Example Our mission is to deliver the best products to our clients and provide them with top of the line after-sales service. It is the practice of our company to grant watch replacement requests from our customers especially if after inspection of our technical department the request is valid and if it is within the warranty period. Unfortunately, we checked our records and found out that your watch was purchased last April 9, 2008; therefore, the three-year warranty has expired last April 9, 2011. All our watches, including the Magnifique 89379 are designed to last to up to an average of 15 years with proper care and maintenance. In as much as we can no longer replace your watch, you may visit the nearest service center and bring your Magnifique. We will be glad to repair it and give you a 12% discount on labor charges. Our technical department will be happy to assist you. They will give you free advice on the proper handling and maintenance of your watch to make it last for at least 15 years and

French influence in Vietnam in the 19th century Essay Example for Free

French influence in Vietnam in the 19th century Essay In the 19th century, the French had a great influence in Vietnam in different aspects including; culture, religion, ethics, economy, politics and government and nationalistic aspirations of the Vietnamese. The French ruled Vietnam from approximately mid-late 1800s until 1954 when Vietnam defeated the French. According by Edward Terry on the geocities website, the greatest influence in Vietnam was that of religion. Others may think differently, but this essay will explain how all different aspects had an impact on Vietnam and whether or not the French had a good or bad influence in Vietnam. According to the textbook Contested Spaces by Thomas Cantwell, French colonialism had a negative influence on Vietnamese society. The French had a huge impact on the Vietnamese culture. French culture strongly influenced Vietnamese food, language, some architecture etc. The French cuisine had a great influence in Vietnam as you can still find asparagus, white potato and French bread on menus in Vietnam. A Vietnamese breakfast would be a baguette, yogurt and orange juice, which are all typical French items. In the South, the influence was the greatest, so these things are most often found in southern Vietnam. Before the French came, the Vietnamese used Chinese characters but French missionaries introduced the Latin alphabet to replace that. The Vietnamese written language doesnt only use 26 characters like the English language, but many different with different accents. Actual Vietnamese words were hardly influenced by the French and it could be said that in the 19th century, the Vietnamese spoken language sounded just like the Chinese spoken language to people who couldnt tell the difference. Even though the French language didnt have a great impact on the Vietnamese spoken language, many well educated Vietnamese speak French. The French influence in Vietnamese culture wasnt particularly bad or good. Even though, some may argue otherwise. Vietnamese architecture wasnt influenced strongly by the French but in the main cities such as Hanoi there can still be found the remnants of old French buildings. The French occupied the city so the majority of the buildings in the center like government buildings, offices, opera houses and big lodges were all made by the French. As said before, some argue that the biggest influence the French had in Vietnam was that of religion. The Socià ©tà © des Missions Étrangeres (The society of foreign missionaries) claims that up until the year of 1841, 450 000 Vietnamese had changed their religion to Christianity. However, those statistics arent very reliable, because during the progress they might have killed twice as many people as that. Having said that, even up to today, Catholicism is the second most practised religion (after Buddhism) in Vietnam. Therefore there can be said that religion was one of the biggest influences the French had in Vietnam. Vietnamese moral and ethical values were mostly influenced by the Chinese and the French didnt have a great influence on Vietnamese ethics. The French might have brought in some Europeans habits, but the majority of the Vietnamese lived by Chinese ethics. The French also had a great impact on the Vietnamese economy. The French opened banks in Vietnam but only to the benefit of the French. Looking at the economic influences the French had on Vietnam there can be said it was a bad influence for Vietnamese people. The French also introduced a wine tax in 1817 and since the national drink of Vietnam was rice wine, this had a great impact on the Vietnamese people. They controlled the rice wine manufacture, distribution and sale in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Local production was illegal. Salt was also very important product to the Vietnamese. In 1897 Governor General Paul Doumer also introduced a salt tax. Salt could only be purchased from French outlets with a price 10 times larger than its original price. The French also took opium from Asia and introduced it in Europe. They started trading and by 1929 the whole of Indochina was producing approximately 80 tonnes of opium yearly. All of these things influenced the economy because there was more trading and people had to pay a lot of taxes on things that were free before. Looking at all of these things there can be said that the French did have a negative influence on the Vietnamese economy. The French obviously had an effect on the Vietnamese government because they were ruling the Vietnamese. When they first arrived in Vietnam, they divided  it in three different parts called; Bac Ky (Tonkin), Trung Ky (Annam) and Nam Ky (Cochin china), so they could gain control over each part at a time. While the French were in Vietnam the emperor remained a figure head with no real power. He could practice his activities with his court and initiated laws, and conducted ceremonies as long as they didnt clash with the French policies and intentions. The French were in control over the government and therefore also the politics. As said before they introduced more taxes and with these taxes came new laws. According to the book: A short history of South east Asia by Church P., the Vietnamese imperial government had lost all capacity to control events. Another thing that changed while the French were in Vietnam was that the Vietnamese became more nationalistic. The Vietnamese wanted independence from the French and had a very nationalistic attitude. The French being in Vietnam also started guerrilla warfare. The Vietnamese stood up against the French. Guerrilla warfare isnt supported by the official military of the government but can be very organized. The French being in Vietnam flamed up their nationalistic aspirations. There can be concluded that the French had a huge impact and influence in Vietnam on all different aspects of live and the country. In conclusion from analyzing these different things there can be said that the French mainly had a negative influence in Vietnam. Bibliography: http://www.geocities.com/vietnamrp/french_influence.htm by Edward Terryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnamhttp://www.asian-nation.org/vietnam-history.shtmlhttp://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/World-Leaders-2003/Vietnam-POLITICAL-BACKGROUND.htmlThomas Cantwell, Contested spaces Conflict in Indochina. McGraw Hill education, first edition 2003, NSW. Church P. 2006, A short history of South East Asia, John Wiley Sons, Singapore.

So, How Smart are you? :: Narrative Intelligence Education Essays

So, How Smart are you? If I could give you anything†¦anything you wanted at all, what would it be? For many, the immediate response is: â€Å"I want to be smarter!!!† Why smarter? If you are very smart, what do you do with all this smartness? Is there such a thing as being too smart? My younger brother, Ian, is a fourteen-year-old junior in high school. Clearly precocious for his age and stature, there are many who envy his ability and talent to understand academic concepts with relative ease. At this tender age, where most fourteen-year-olds are simply entering high school and trying to adapt to their awkward teenage bodies, my little brother is tackling the challenges of college applications, refining his resume, and perfecting his standardized test scores. His schoolmates joke with him about being younger than everyone else in his grade and about entering college at the age of sixteen without knowing how to drive. There was even talk about how he was going to get to the prom: Would his date have to drive him? Although these events seem superficially comical, one must look at the repercussions of always being seen as â€Å"the little kid in class†. I wonder if there is a true solution to this situation. At a young age my brother demonstrated great skill and adeptness for understanding. Enrolled in a Montesorri preparatory school where students were encouraged to learn at their own pace, Ian was reading and doing long division in kindergarten. Later that year, when my family moved, my brother and I were transferred to another school system. Ian was placed in a kindergarten class filled with five-year-olds and it was clear he did not fit in. Finishing the assigned work within 15 minutes, he sat around fidgeting and causing trouble. The teacher, already overwhelmed with too many students, did not know how to handle the situation and sent him to the principal’s office. Faced with this dilemma, the principal offered my parents the option for Ian to test out of successive grades until we determined which academic level was appropriate for him. My brother took the exams and tested out of kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd g rade.

Compensation – Incentive vs Bonus

A bonus plan is one where the bonus is awarded after the fact and typically has very little or no incentive value. The employees typically come to see it as an entitlement. An incentive plan is a variable pay plan that is tied to some level of performance. The employee is rewarded with a payment that is predefined and non discretionary. The reward is paid when actual performance meets or exceeds predefined goals. incentive| Any form of variable payment tied to performance. The payment may be a monetary award, such as cash or equity, or a nonmonetary award, such as merchandise or travel.Incentives are contrasted with bonuses in that performance goals for incentives are predetermined. Generally nondiscretionary and can be paid at any time of the year| bonus| An after-the-fact reward or payment (may be either discretionary or nondiscretionary) based on the performance of an individual, a group of workers operating as a unit, a division or business unit, or an entire workforce. Payments may be made in cash, shares, share options or other items of value. In the context of sales compensation, a defined, pre-established amount of money to be earned for achieving a specified performance goal.Planned bonus amounts commonly are expressed as a percent of the incumbent's base salary, salary range midpoint, percentage of target cash compensation or incentive compensation, or a defined dollar amount. See also discretionary and nondiscretionary bonus| Bonus versus Incentive – What is the Difference? Here is how our Glossary defines them:Incentive:  Ã‚  Additional pay (above and beyond the base salary or wage) awarded to an employee, such as stock options or a contingent bonus plan, that is ‘forward looking'. Bonus:  Ã‚  Plans that award cash or other items of value, such as stock (or stock options), based on accomplishments achieved.While incentive plans are ‘forward' looking' bonus plans are ‘backward looking'. An incentive that is dangled to ent ice certain behaviors may include cash or prizes or perquisites or anything that activates the motivations of the performers. A bonus is â€Å"something extra† which is usually cash and is always non-guaranteed. The two terms can obviously overlap:   job security in unsettled times can be an incentive for some people to work harder, while a contingent bonus premised on specific outcome results can also be an incentive to achieve those objectives.Cash dropped from the sky as a surprise is generally not considered â€Å"incentive† pay although such bonus gifts have disproportionately strong motivational effects, because the reward was not pre-announced and thus could not entice behavior changes. | Even though Frank and Jim have provided excellent definitions that  draw a distinction between the two terms, I'm sure that they will agree that there is a lot of inconsistency in the use of those terms across business, and even across the compensation profession. Always lo ok for the context that the terms are used in whatever you read or hear. Yep. Like you said, Paul. Term usages vary tremendously between enterprises, industries  and sometimes between applications. As an extreme example, when I'm in meetings and someone says â€Å"comp†, I frequently have to confirm understanding and must ask if they are referring to * compensation (WorldAtWork) * comprehensive (municipal) * complimentary (gambing) * computation (math)Back in The Day, I spent a lot of time translating terms like these and  performance  reviewand such things between disparte audiences who both meant and understood different things from the terms. In the context of sales compensation, WorldatWork defines a â€Å"bonus† primarily in contrast to a â€Å"commission. † In both cases in sales compensation, the reward is generally known in advance and offered for achieving a goal which also generally known in advance. The difference is that the â€Å"commissionâ €  is communicated as a â€Å"piece of the action† (e. g. , 2% of revenue, $5 per unit, 6% of margin dollars); whereas a â€Å"bonus† is a fixed incentive amount offered for achieving a specific objective, often with less offered for lower achievement levels and more for higher levels.Most of the time, the amount of the commission at goal (or â€Å"quota†) is high if the quota is higher – so if one sales person has a $1M quota and another has a $1. 5M quota, then one has a target commission that is 150% that of the other. Whereas in a â€Å"bonus† world, the target incentive is fixed for the role (e. g. , $40k per year) and is paid for hitting quota, which may vary from one person to the next.Of course there are myriad nuances and variations, including the possibility of â€Å"personal commission rates† which communicate a [email  protected] â€Å"bonus† as if it were a [email  protected] â€Å"commission,† etc. But that gets at the gist of it. All that said, I do have a current client with a business that is very weather-dependent (agrichemicals), to the extent that performance of the sales people can only be assessed retrospectively – did they create value for the company, sell well, cement relationships with customers, and achieve solid results given the opportunities that came their way during the year?Because the business itself is so volatile, the sales person's compensation must be less incentive-rich at target than most in similar roles, and performance can only be evaluated fairly in retrospect. However, this is only noteworthy because it is so highly unusual. Wherever possible (and it usually is possible), sales people have clear financial goals with formulaic compensation opportunities tied to how well they do against those goals. | |

Leg Ulcers

Chapter One *A Brief Overview of a Venous Leg Ulcer *and the Assessment Process The nurse must have the skills and knowledge to identify a venous leg ulcer. Dowsett (2005) believes that it is important that nurses and other health care professionals look for the underlying cause of an ulcer. Whereas, the Royal College of Nursing (1998) has different views, and argues that, professionals who are fully trained in leg ulcer management should only be able to identify an underlying cause as it is easily mistaken that diagnosis of an arterial leg ulcer is made rather than venous which could cause serious treatment complications for the wound as well as the patient. There are major problems associated with a venous leg ulcer such as, pain, loss of mobility, financial implications and much more which will be discussed in chapter 3. Leg ulcers appear as shallow holes or craters in which the tissue underneath is exposed. They can vary in size, discolouration and depth (National Health Service Direct 2008) (NHS). The clinical factors of a venous leg ulcer are, lipodermatosclerosis (champagne bottle shaped leg) ,which is cellulites affecting the dermis and subcutaneous tissue (Finlay & Chowdhery, 2007), hyperpigmentation, derived red blood cells extravagated from dilated, leaky capillaries which produces areas of brown discolouration (Brown & Burns, 2007). Atrophic Blanche, where interspersed by visible engorged capillaries seen as tiny red dots just below the surface of the skin (Moffat et al, 2007). However before looking at the patients wound it is the nurses role to look at the patient holistically and find out past medical and family history as well as personal factor that could contribute to the condition (Moffat et al, 2007). There are essential details that the patient can tell the nurse about their ulcer and the factors that may contribute to this. Such factors are their full medical history these details should include varicose veins, diabetes, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), previous leg surgery and any family history of leg ulceration (Dougherty and Lister 2004). The importance of this is that if a leg ulcer is diagnosed incorrectly, such as a venous ulcer being mistakenly diagnosed as an arterial one can have serious complications for the patient and causing further delays in the healing of the wound. Also the nurse must undertake baseline observations this includes, the patient’s weight, height, blood pressure (BP), oxygen saturations levels, temperature nd respiratory rate, and also the patient’s nutritional intake, urine samples and routine blood tests such as glucose and haemoglobin levels must be gained, as diabetes is present in approximately 5% of patients with leg ulcer (SIGN 1998). Murray (2004) also agrees with Dougherty & Lister (2004) & Bolton et al (2004) stating that that hyperglycaemia can have an e ffect in the wound healing process, as this can be linked with infection and decreased oxygen levels in the haemoglobin will slow down the healing process and go onto starve tissue. These factors are important to know as it plays a big part in the wound healing process. In clinical practice thesebasic observations are a vital part of information gained to ensure safer patient care and early recognition of deterioration. The key factor in order to gain a thorough assessment it is essential that the nurse must have is communication and listening skills not only for this purpose but also for a nurse patient relationship. Dealey, (1994) believes that fear is one of the most common experiences a human can feel and a patients illness release many fears, in which health care professionals are unable to identify when not allowing the patient to express their needs freely. If the patient has a full understanding of their condition they are more likely to comply with treatment regimes and have a more productive relationship with healthcare professional’s (Anderson 2006). The RCN (2008) states, that the nurse-patient relationship is founded on trust. The nurse patient relationship allows the conversation to flow easy in order to gain a holistic approach to the patients care. The Code (2008) also agrees that as nurses ‘we must listen to people in our care and respond to their concerns and preferences’. Much research has taken place regarding nurse patient relationships, McCabe (2002) carried out a study which aimed to explore and produce statements relating to the patients experiences of how nurses communicate. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. This focuses on individual’s interpretations of experiences and ways in which they express them (Parahoo 1997), followed by unstructured questionnaires which were tape recorded and lasted for approximately thirty minutes. The results found that four themes emerged, these were, lack of communication, ‘attending’, empathy and friendly nurses. Therefore the conclusions were that in contrast to the literature, nurses are not good at communicating with patients, however nurses can communicate well if the task undertaken was a patient centred approach. Although research has taken place the limitations were that only eight patients participated, therefore this could reduce the validity and reliability of the study. Also with such a small sample the study could be used as a pilot study which could be replicated in the UK as this study was undertook in Ireland.

Gambling essays

Gambling essays Have you ever felt remorse after gambling? Has gambling affected your reputation? Do you often gamble until your last dollar is gone? Do you ever borrow to finance your gambling? After a win do you have a strong urge to return and win more? A compulsive gambler will often reply yes to most of these questions, but many simply wont admit the fact that they have a problem. Admitting that their behaviour is compulsive is like accepting defeat. Gamblers spend most of their time trying to win, so giving in doesn ¡t come easy. Gambling has been seen as a problem in society, ever since it was made legal in Nevada and Atlantic City in 1976. Since then, pro-gambling lobbyists have fought to get a form of legalized gambling in every state, but the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling has prevailed. In 1987 however, the Supreme Court ruled that Native Americans, who are without state regulation, could offer legal gambling far outside Indian reservations. This decision has contributed to the rising numbers of compulsive gamblers in many states. More than 6% of adult gamblers are now considered to be addicted, and the numbers are continuing to grow. At present, Americans will wager over 550 billion dollars a year, a! 3,200% increase since 1976. Solutions to this problem are beginning to come forward, much to the gambling industry ¡s dislike, as the four percent of pathological gamblers may account for as much as 52% of an average casino ¡s The causes of compulsive gambling are similar to those which alcoholics and drug addicts encounter. Compulsive gamblers are preoccupied with seeking out gambling and gamble longer than intended, and with more money than intended. There is also the equivalent of  ¡tolerance ¡ when gamblers have to increase the size of their bets or the odds against them in order to create the desired amount of excitement. (Lesieur 2)  ¡The cause of the addicti...

Panama Or Bust essays

Panama Or Bust essays The story opens with a scene of moving traffic. It is an over head view of both ways of traffic. The sun is almost down and the headlights of the cars are on. The scene switches to the inside of one of the cars where 5 young girls sit. The girls are all wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. ( It is the middle of March in Northeast Ohio) The music is really loud and they are all singing.... ice, ice baby, too cold, too cold. They sing and laugh listening to music that was once popular not to long ago. The driver of the car, KERRY PRESTON, is in control of the radio. It is her car that the girls are using for their road trip. They drive through the rest of the night talking and telling secrets to each other. It appears to the audience that the group of girls are good friends that get along great. At around midnight they decide to get off the exit and switch drivers. At the gas station they all get out and use the restroom and get some caffeine for the rest of the trip. Kerry and EMI LY DARROW head straight for the cappuccino machine. As Kerry is filling up her cappuccino, the nozzle pops off and cappuccino goes spraying all over Emily. The other three girls, Erica, Melissa and Crystal, hear Emily screaming and come around the corner to see what has happened. They all stand there with their mouths dropped to the ground as they stare at Emily covered in brown, steamy liquid. Emily stands there almost shocked and then begins to shout at Kerry right in the middle of the gas station. Everyone is looking at them. She storms out of the gas station and gets back into the car. They all get back into the car and Emily is behind the wheel. She is going to be the next driver. The girls all get back into the car and sit in silence for the next two hours. Emily is driving erratically, taking fast turns and weaving in and out of traffic. Kerry keeps making remarks to Emily about the way she was driving. The girls hold on to the ...

Common Stereotypes About Africa

Common Stereotypes About Africa In the 21st century, there’s never been more focus on Africa than now. Thanks to the revolutions sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East, Africa has the world’s attention. But just because all eyes happen to be on Africa at the moment doesn’t mean myths about this part of the world have been dispelled. Despite the intense interest in Africa today, racial stereotypes about it persist. Do you have any misperceptions about Africa? This list of common myths about Africa aims to clear them up. Africa Is a Country What’s the No. 1 stereotype about Africa? Arguably, the biggest stereotype is that Africa’s not a continent, but a country. Ever hear someone refer to African food or African art or even the African language? Such individuals have no idea that Africa’s the second largest continent in the world. Instead, they view it as a tiny country with no distinct traditions, cultures or ethnic groups. They fail to realize that referring to, say, African food sounds just as odd as referring to North American food or the North American language or the North American people. Africa’s home to 53 countries, including island nations along the continent’s coast. These countries contain diverse groups of people who speak a variety of languages and practice a wide range of customs. Take Nigeria- Africa’s most populous country. Among the nation’s population of 152 million, more than 250 distinct ethnic groups live. While English is the former British colonys official language, the dialects of ethnic groups indigenous to the West African nation, such as Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, are commonly spoken as well. To boot, Nigerians practice Christianity, Islam and indigenous religions. So much for the myth that all Africans are alike. The most populated nation on the continent certainly proves otherwise. All Africans Look the Same If you turn to popular culture for images of people on the African continent, you’re likely to notice a pattern. Time and time again, Africans are depicted as if they’re one and the same. You’ll see Africans portrayed wearing face paint and animal print and all with nearly pitch black skin. The controversy surrounding singer Beyonce Knowles’ decision to don black face for French magazine L’Officiel is a case in point. In a photo shoot for the magazine described as â€Å"a return to her African roots,† Knowles darkened her skin to a deep brown, wore splotches of blue and beige paint on her cheekbones and leopard print clothing, not to mention a necklace made out of bone-like material. The fashion spread sparked public outcry for a number of reasons. For one, Knowles portrays no particular African ethnic group in the spread, so which roots did she pay tribute to during the shoot? The generic African heritage L’Officiel claims Knowles honors in the spread really just amounts to racial stereotyping. Do some groups in Africa wear face paint? Sure, but not all do. And the leopard print clothing? That’s not a look favored by indigenous African groups. It simply highlights that the Western world commonly views Africans as tribal and untamed. As for the skin-darkening- Africans, even sub-Saharan ones, have a range of skin tones, hair textures, and other physical traits. This is why some people pegged L’Officiel’s decision to darken Knowles’ skin for the shoot unnecessary. After all, not every African is black-skinned. As Dodai Stewart of Jezebel.com put it: â€Å"When you paint your face darker in order to look more ‘African,’ aren’t you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures, and histories, into one brown color?† Egypt Isn’t Part of Africa Geographically, there’s no question: Egypt sits squarely in Northeast Africa. Specifically, it borders Libya to the West, Sudan to the South, the Mediterranean Sea to the North, the Red Sea to the East and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the Northeast. Despite its location, Egypt is often not described as an African nation, but as Middle Eastern- the region where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. This omission stems mostly from the fact that Egypt’s population of more than 80 million is heavily Arab- with up to 100,000 Nubians in the South- a drastic difference from the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Complicating matters is that Arabs tend to be classified as Caucasian. According to scientific research, the ancient Egyptians- known for their pyramids and sophisticated civilization- were neither European nor sub-Saharan African biologically, but a genetically distinct group. In one study cited by John H. Relethford in the Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology, ancient skulls belonging to populations from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Far East and Australia were compared to determine the racial origin of ancient Egyptians. If Egyptians did indeed originate in Europe, their skull samples would closely match those of ancient Europeans. Researchers found, however, that this wasn’t the case. But the Egyptian skull samples weren’t similar to those of sub-Saharan Africans either. Rather, â€Å"the ancient Egyptians are Egyptian,† Relethford writes. In other words, Egyptians are an ethnically unique people. These people happen to be situated on the African continent, though. Their existence reveals Africa’s diversity. Africa Is All Jungle Never mind that the Sahara Desert makes up one-third of Africa. Thanks to Tarzan films and other cinematic portrayals of Africa, many mistakenly believe that jungle occupies most of the continent and that ferocious beasts roam its entire landscape. Black activist Malcolm X, who visited several African countries before his assassination in 1965, took issue with this depiction. He not only discussed Western stereotypes of Africa but also how such stereotypes resulted in black Americans distancing themselves from the continent. â€Å"They always project Africa in a negative light: jungle savages, cannibals, nothing civilized,† he  pointed out. In reality, Africa houses  a wide range of vegetation zones. Only a small portion of the continent includes jungle or rainforests. These tropical areas are located along the Guinea Coast and in the Zaire River Basin. Africa’s largest vegetation zone is actually savanna or tropical grassland. Moreover, Africa’s home to urban centers with populations in the multimillions, including Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. By 2025, more than half of the African population will reside in cities, according to  some estimates. Black American Slaves Came From All Over Africa Largely due to the misconception that Africa’s a country, it’s not uncommon for people to assume that black Americans have ancestors from all over the continent. In reality, the slaves traded throughout the Americas originated specifically along Africa’s western coast. For the first time, Portuguese sailors who’d previously traveled to Africa for gold returned to Europe with 10 African slaves in 1442, PBS  reports. Four decades later, the Portuguese built a trading post on the Guinean shore called Elmina, or â€Å"the mine† in Portuguese. There, gold, ivory, and other goods were traded along with African slaves- exported for weapons, mirrors, and cloth, to name a few. Before long, Dutch and English ships began arriving at Elmina for African slaves as well. By 1619, Europeans had forced a million slaves into the Americas. Altogether, 10 to 12 million Africans were forced into servitude in the New World. These Africans were â€Å"either captured in warring raids or kidnapped and taken to the port by African slave traders,† PBS notes. Yes, West Africans played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade. For these Africans, slavery was nothing new, but African slavery in no way resembled North and South American slavery. In his book, the  African Slave Trade, Basil Davidson likens slavery on the African continent to European serfdom. Take the Ashanti Kingdom of West Africa, where â€Å"slaves could marry, own property and even own slaves,† PBS explains. Slaves in the United States enjoyed no such privileges. Moreover, while slavery in the U.S. was linked to skin color- with blacks as servants and whites as masters- racism was not the impetus for slavery in Africa. Plus, like indentured servants, slaves in Africa were typically released from bondage after a set amount of time. Accordingly, slavery in Africa never lasted across generations. Wrapping Up Many myths  about Africa date back centuries. In the modern day, new stereotypes about the continent have emerged. Thanks to a sensationalistic news media, people worldwide associate Africa with famine, war, AIDS, poverty and political corruption. This isn’t to say that such problems don’t exist in Africa. Of course, they do. But even in a nation as wealthy as the United States, hunger, abuse of power and chronic illness factor into everyday life. While the continent of Africa faces enormous challenges, not every African is in need, nor is every African nation in crisis. Source Relethford, John. Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology. 2 edition, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, October 18, 1996.