Culture and Cognition Essay

Culture may be defined as a combination of different traits of a social group. These traits or ways of life can be language, arts, sciences, thoughts, spirituality, social activities, interactions, and many more (â€Å"Definition†, n. d. ). The world has many peoples and thus many cultures, thus each has their own beliefs, traditions, and customs. Another characteristic of a certain culture may be cognition. Because of human diversity in traditions and customs, there is also diversity in intelligence. According to Cole, Gay, Glick, and Sharp (as cited in Sternberg, 2004), certain behaviors may be smart in one culture but plainly stupid in another (1971). Culture and Intelligence According to Robert Sternberg in his article entitled â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†, intelligence cannot be fully measured, developed, and conceptualized when it is outside the cultural context. This creates an impression that intelligence is a norm and being a deviant from that norm would mean less intelligence (2004, p. 1). An example given by Sternberg about intelligence tests shows an evidence of his argument. Any intelligence test created in one culture may not be valid in another culture. Sternberg also constructed models in order to determine if the culture has a significant effect on intelligence. On the third model, the dimensions of intelligence are the same as with the other models. However, the instruments used are different from the other models. The measurement process was therefore derived from the culture being studied and not from outside it. As this is done, the psychological meanings of the scores of the assessments change from one culture to another. Culture and Cognition Intelligence is just one of the cognitive characteristics of man. Culture, as well as social systems has a role in developing the people’s system of thought. This is according to Richard Nisbett, Incheol Choi, Laiping Peng, and Ara Norenzayan, when they studied the difference between easterners and westerners in terms of cognitive processes (2001). They stated that east Asians are holistic in their cognitive processes, focusing on an entire field and its causality. On the other hand, westerners such as Americans are analytic because they pay more attention on the object and the categories, making use of rules such as formal logic. The authors of this article suggest that the origin of these differences is traceable to different social systems (p. 291). They were able to conclude that there is still a very great difference between cultures. It is because of the circumstances brought about by these cultures that one process will always be different from another. Furthermore, the norms or the normative standards for though will differ across cultures (p. 306). The influence of culture has many implications in cognition. This insight may change the very definition of intelligence as related to different social systems. This also has a great effect in cognitive assessment since one measuring tool may not be appropriate for all cultures. Although international communication is already established, this information would give more understanding to people as to how others with different cultures are different to them in terms of learning styles, perception, and other aspects of cognition. It would also change the perception on people who are considered as intellectually inferior since intelligence no longer focuses on a dominant or normative standard set by those perceived as superior. References â€Å"Definition of Culture†, (n. d. ). Roshan Culture Heritage Institute. Retrieved 24 May 2010 from http://www. roshan-institute. org/templates/System/details. asp? id=39783&PID =474552. Nisbett, R. E. , Peng, K. , Choi, I. , & Norenzayan, A. (2001). â€Å"Culture and Systems of Thought: Holistic versus Analytic Cognition†. Psychological Review. 108(2), pp. 291-310. Sternberg, R. (2004). â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†. American Psychologist. 59(5), pp. 325- 338.

Meaning of Ceteris Paribus Essay

In economics and finance,  the term is used as shorthand for indicating the effect of one economic variable on another, holding constant all other variables that may affect the second variable One of the disciplines in which ceteris paribus clauses are most widely used is economics, in which they are employed to simplify the formulation and description of economic outcomes. When using ceteris paribus in economics, assume all other variables except those under immediate consideration are held constant, . In effect all extra variables remain unchanged and there are no outside influences on the variables being looked at. The only variables being considered are price and demand. It does not take into account any other things, such as inflation, product improvements, etc. This allows for the explanation, examination and understanding of basic economic rules. This operational description intentionally ignores both known and unknown factors that may also influence the relationship between price and quantity demanded, and thus to assume ceteris paribus is to assume away any interference with the given example. Such factors that would be intentionally ignored include: the relative change in price of substitute goods, (e. g. , the price of beef vs pork or lamb); the level of risk aversion among buyers (e. g. , fear of mad cow disease); and the level of overall demand for a good regardless of its current price level (e. g. a societal shift toward vegetarianism) In this example, the clause is used to operationally describe everything surrounding the relationship between both the price and the quantity demanded of an ordinary good. when  discussing the laws of supply and demand, one could say that  if demand for a given product outweighs supply, ceteris paribus, prices will rise. Here, the use of â€Å"ceteris paribus† is simply sayin g that as long as all other factors that could affect the outcome (such as  the existence of a substitute product) remain constant, prices will increase in this situation. For example as the price of Pepsi cola rises, the quantity demanded of Pepsi cola falls, ceteris paribus. If the price raise of Pepsi-cola and nothing else changes, in other words, people’s preferences stay the same, the recipe for Pepsi-cola stays the same, and so on, then in response to the higher price of Pepsi-cola, people will buy less Pepsi-cola. In a nutshell the term ceteris paribus is used to define the law of demand and supply and it literally means all other things remain constant and nothing else changes.

Unaids Report On Hiv / Aids Essay -- AIDS, HIV, Human sexual behavior

NURS 420- Policy Brief HIV/AIDS in Zambia In 2014, UNAIDS estimated that around 1,200,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia. According to the UNAIDS report, the prevalence rate for adults aged 15 to 49 is 12.4%. About 1 million women aged 15 and up are living with AIDS and roughly 100,000 children aged 0 to 14 are living with HIV. (UNAIDS) The most affected populations are men who have sex with men (MSM), migrants, sex workers, women, children and orphans. Some of the risk factors are having multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships, mother to child transmission, and low condom use. HIV/AIDS is impacting the economy by reducing labor supply and increasing costs. It is socially impacting the community by weakening the workforce, and increasing social issues. Providing education of sexually transmitted infections, the practice of safe sex and of information regarding mother to child transmission is a low cost effective approach in tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The number of people living with HIV in Zambia, a relatively small country in southern Africa, is steadily rising. UNICEF estimates that 226 new adult infections and 25 new child infections occur each day. According to AVERT, an international AIDS and HIV charity, 27,000 people were accounted for AIDS related death in 2013. Life expectancy is 58.1 years, which is an increase from the year 2012 where the life expectancy was 49.4 years. (AVERT) Men who have sex with men, sex workers, migrants, women, children and orphans are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS than other groups. In Zambia, it is illegal for men to have sex with men so there is little data about the HIV epidemic of this population. It is reported that elsewhere (Sub Saharan Africa) HIV preva... ... middle of paper ... ...hild transmission would do this. This is a low cost prevention approach to HIV/AIDS epidemic. A study done in Kenya showed that sexually transmitted disease control and condom promotion was 8-12 U.S dollars in cost per case averted. (Marseille, 20012) It was less than $1 in U.S in cost per disability adjusted life year (DALY). Doing something similar in Zambia would be cost effective too. By promoting positive attitudes and behavior towards women’s health, one is ensuring long-term improvements. Increasing awareness and overcoming the stigma of the disease is the first step to taking action. Helping the women in the community have a voice in practicing safe sex and becoming an advocate of the use of condoms and being knowledgeable in mother to child transmission can mitigate the chances of HIV transmission in various fields (i.e. marriages, sex work, migrant work).

Week 1 Discussion Question Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 1 Discussion Question - Article Example However, the most used theory and much discussed in the other readings and videos for the class is the Realist Perspective theory, which talks about THE STATE BEING THE MOST CENTRAL IN THE WORKINGS OF THE SOCIETY, AS WELL AS THE UNIFYING BODY WITH REGARDS TO THE INTERNAL WORKINGS OF THE STATE OR SOVEREIGNTY (Cohn 57). In the exit speech by former US President Dwight David Eisenhower, he discussed the possible EFFECTS THAT COULD HAPPEN SHOULD THE STATE BEFALL UNDER NEGATIVE INFLUENCES including the endangerment of liberty and security, thus the need to enhance both the state’s economic and military defenses (Eisenhower). Karl Marx was also able to explain this kind of centralization of power in smaller terms, such as the case of the capitalist or company-owner and the company’s employees. In the condensed version of Marx’s Das Kapital in Spark Notes, it was explained that THE CAPITALIST HAS THE UPPER-HAND WITH REGARDS TO THE HANDLING OF THE RAW MATERIALS AS WELL A S THE LABOR COSTS, ALLOWING HIM THE ABILITY TO DICTATE BOTH THE PRICE AND THE WAGES OF THE WORKERS (Marx). Mick Brooks also explained the circumstances on how capitalism relies on the realist approaches, such as THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARDS TO BOTH THE INCOME-GENERATING METHODS OF COMPANIES AS WELL AS THE INCREASE IN THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR (Brooks). The same was also mentioned by Marilyn Waring in a short film, wherein THE POLITICAL PARTIES GET DICTATED BY THE LARGER COMPANIES IN DOING THEIR BIDDING DUE TO THE SUPPORT THAT THE SAID COMPANIES PROVIDE TO POLITICAL PARTIES, and instead of being able to read what the public wants, the laws mostly cater to the companies and subsequently, the rich folk (Who’s Counting?). Lastly, the same centralization of power in the form of the TEAM-UP OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE RICH LAND GRABBERS ROBBED THE NATIVE INDIANS IN WHITE EARTH SETTLEMENT OF THEIR OWN LANDS, WHICH IN TURN

Evaluation Tool for Qualitative Studies Discussion Research Paper

Evaluation Tool for Qualitative Studies Discussion - Research Paper Example There is a stepwise analysis of the research journals as the checklist is divided into various sub-heading, with each subheading bearing specific objectives in relevance to the research document. For instance, in section one of the checklists, internal validity of the document is scrutinized. Under this section, the relevance of the research questions and other internal factors of the research journal is analyzed. The checklist under this section uses concisely designed list of required items. Consequently, the analysis of internal validity of the document, for instance, is achieved easily. In systemic analysis and Meta-analysis, mainly two major quality assessments are carried out. The analysis carried out includes internal validity and general assessment study of the research journal. In Each section has a specific point for analysis, for instance, in the general assessment, the relevance of research on its initial objectives and purpose is determined. Internal validity assessment provides guidelines for ascertaining general factors considered in the formulation of the report journal. Based on the two main aspects of the systemic analysis, analysis of the attached document on Implementation of a strategy is carried out by critical study of the document and marking it against the specification provided in the checklist. The finding according to this analysis is that the research document is of good

Fallacy Spotting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fallacy Spotting - Assignment Example Essentially, this is a straw man argument; due to the fact that a given television show was only ever a recent reproduction and historical interpretation of fictional events – not a documentary record of the way in which individuals segued into adulthood and portended themselves. Likewise, the article itself is also indicative of what is known as a â€Å"false dilemma†. Essentially, numerous other indications why the current generation might be exhibited certain signs of â€Å"immaturity† has to do with the fact that extremely difficult economic times have acquired individuals to move in with their parents, provided them with relatively few opportunities, and restricted the level of maturity that might have otherwise developed. As such, the dilemma that has been represented is one that is seemingly of choice; namely that the adults of the current generation do not wish to be adults. However, the fact of the matter is that the adult the current generation oftentim es constrained by very real economic realities that define nearly each and every aspect of the way in which they live their

Close Analysis of Rear Window Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Close Analysis of Rear Window - Essay Example He similarly crafts a countless atmosphere, as a bamboo curtain is raised and the yard is exposed, which is what the entire movie orbits around. According to Laura Mulvey, who perceives it radiantly; the look is outlining, however the man is constantly the observer, whereas the lady is the observed. To restatement her thoroughly, movie takes up a males need to clarify, devaluate, and overestimate the lady. Cinemas ought to learn to halt with agreement, to permit the look of the camera into loving objectivity. Jeff spends time observing his neighbors through binoculars. The spectators are literally shown life via Jefferies eyes in the 6 weeks in which he is restrained to a wheelchair. The opening looks out onto a yard and shows a number of unlike openings which are symbolic of diverse traditions of living in U.S in the 1950s.   In the movie the spectators are shown diverse characters and each opening signifies a diverse style of living and extracts of these charismas exists as Jefferies perceives them. Generally, there are 3 core characters in the movie, the 1st, is Jefferies, the 2nd being Jefferies lover named Lisa and the 3rd being Jefferies doctor called Stella. The connections between these key characters change because of the alteration of events which disclose in front of Jefferies when he considers one of the neighbors of which he has been closely following murders his companion. Lisa is embodied as the faultless lady as she is stylish, attractive and a prosperous business lady; in this movie when she is presented, she is constantly denoted faultlessly and lighting is deployed to limitlessly make her spark. She is continuously tremendously fashionable and elegant. When examining the visual organization of â€Å"Rear Window†, there is a corresponding structure in which everybody handling their day-to-day lives. The spectators are even shown persons shaving and picking up calls. This signifies the fact that every opening demonstrates a sneak

Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Technology - Essay Example Then, interestingly enough, those units quadruple (increase by 400%) over the next 10 years. After that, over the next ten years, the figure doubles. So, it would be very interesting to know that the types of units the x-axis is measuring are actually years, as we are very sure at this point—which of course does help us in analyzing what the figures are trying to tell us. In fact, these numbers tell a curious story. The results on the y-axis show—unlike the x-axis, not the units of years—but rather the references (as benchmarks) staggered out. Every ten years marks a benchmark in references, because within that time frame is when a new dot is placed on the chart. Now, for the first three decades on the chart starting in the 1940s, there was absolutely no growth. Then, we see in the decade 1970-1980 there is a slight uptick in activity, with activity shooting up in exponential increments in the two decades to follow. It would be interesting to any reader to know that the kind of units on the x-axis were actually measured in years if they hadn’t already figured it out by mere deduction, so much so that there were two decades of exceedingly rapid growth of references being bought, sold, or produced, etc., in technology. The possibilities of how we could analyze all these data are really endless, but the most interesting part yet remains to be seen: the analysis of the results, which will be discussed in the following section. The analysis of the results are basically as follows. The references to technology that were being sold, bought, or traded dramatically increased within the last two decades, but which had only started an uptick about three decades ago. Unfortunately, at this time it’s not completely sure what the units of the x-axis were supposed to be designated to be if anything other than just years. Luckily, however, that is not necessarily needful for us to know

Budget Development Analysis Summation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Budget Development Analysis Summation - Essay Example In fact, from an examination of the report on the school budgets it is clear that schools which managed to make cuts in their budgets and reduce expenditure while offering the same level of services are applauded for their actions. The Houston school system managed to reduce expenditure while the school systems that showed an increase in expenditure were criticized for it. This situation is quite similar to the one experienced by other school systems around the country as discussed by Williams (2008) and Romanek (2008). Essentially, school budgets need to show that the schools are spending money in the right direction but it can be difficult to do so in times where rising costs are a fact of life. Romanek (2008) discusses how some schools are facing pressure on their budgets from rising fuel costs and need to move towards alternative fuels in order to make sure that they can meet the needs of the students while remaining within the funds that have been budgeted for their expenditure. While school busses run on diesel instead of gasoline, the prices for diesel itself have risen by almost three hundred percent in the last five years. While schools in the country are being forced to maintain their spending within the same budgetary constraints, schools systems are dealing with increased prices which automatically create a reduction in services. Schools may have to run fewer routes, eliminate positions for technology related teachers or even have to reduce the extra programs which they may offer to their students. The school systems’ budgets describe the reality of what it means to go through a recession and it seems that we all need to be a part of the solution in order to ensure that our education system does not

Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Essay Everything in life happens for a reason, and ultimately fate has a special way in making it all happen. Within the tragic love story of William Shakespeare’s classic, â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† fate decides the two lover’s destiny together along with many other factors. The power of fate brought Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet together yet it also decided to lead them into their own demise. Ultimately fate decided their destiny and their future ahead and if things were not meant to be, they simply weren’t meant to be as fate has a strong instinct of knowing so. Along with fate, the power of assumption lays a big part in this love story, as most of the characters are the types of people who do assume things instead of truly thinking things through. Some people tend to make decisions emotionally and rush them quickly without fully thinking them through as sometimes the consequences for these actions may result into a troublesome future. Romeo and Juliet were definitely ones being guilty for doing so, as because of them rushing things and assuming without truly thinking first, these factors truly lead them into their own demise along with the power of fate. People within this story often rush things quite severely. Taking the time in fully thinking things through is very different from thinking emotionally and instantly rushing important decisions and assuming everything is okay. For example, in Act 5 Scene 3 when Romeo sees Juliet fake â€Å"dead,† Romeo instantly assumes that she is dead. Instead of assuming and making such an instant decision, he could have checked to see if she was breathing or do everything he possibly could to try to bring her back to life, instead of instantly just automatically killing himself. Assumption isn’t always the answer! The characters in this story are the types of people who do assume things and it just so happened that every single one of them assume instead of truly trying to find the answer. Therefore by doing so, assumption and fate lead the lovers Romeo and Juliet in to their own demise. Along with the power of assuming, fate ultimately decides the couple’s destiny. Beyond that decision, fate decides what is going to happen, and if Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are truly meant to be in love and spend the rest of their lives together. Clearly throughout this love story, fate gave hints that  things were not in the couple’s favor. For example, it just so happened that the families of Romeo and Juliet despise each other, it doesn’t have to be that way but of course fate decides that. The feud between the two families causes many problems for the young couple along their journey of life together. Could you imagine your family despising your true love’s family? I could not imagine how awful that would be, but it just so happened for Romeo and Juliet in their story, that is exactly what happened and is what caused so many problems for them. Picturing their families getting along and genially liking one another, do you believe if that was the case would that factor change Romeo’s and Juliet’s future? Even if it did or did not, having fate right off the top deciding that their families despise one another and constantly having feuds does not help Romeo and Juliet what so ever. But do you ever see Romeo and Juliet trying to stop the family feuds from happening? Romeo and Juliet immediately assume that their families will never get along but do you see them trying to do something about it? In fact, they don’t do anything to try to end the constant feuds from happening, they do nothing to try to fix the problem. Here yet again, is another example of how the power of assumption plays a large part in this Shakespeare classic. Romeo and Juliet assume that their families do not get along and there is no hope that they ever will, but they never truly try to make a difference and try to cure the problem. Resulting in a troublesome future for young Romeo and Juliet, if they tried to do everything they can to try to make their families at the least respect one another, I believe that would have made a better and more positive impact on the couple. Ultimately love is something that is a strong, powerful feeling to express. To say you love somebody is a very big thing to say to somebody, especially when you are thirteen years of age to an older boy. In Juliet’s case she has just become a teenager and although people tended to settle down and be married with children typically at a younger age in their era, to say she loves somebody is such a large statement, especially when she is just thirteen. Romeo as well, two years older than his lover Juliet is still very young to say that statement to someone. He does tend to love and show his affection quite in a flirtatious and â€Å"rash† way, but still to say you love somebody is a really big deal. Young Romeo and Juliet are so young; they haven’t matured into young adults yet and are still young children. To  assume that you are in love is a big assumption to start off with never the less when you don’t have the maturity to be in a relationship. Romeo displays many childlike qualities in how he always has a crush on somebody throughout the story. As people do develop strong feelings for others, it does not happen as frequently as you mature and grow older. Romantic Romeo loves the idea of falling in love, as he firstly has a big crush on beautiful Rosaline, as then he later falls in love with the one and only Juliet. Young Juliet displays many child-like qualities as well, for example of how she always imagines and dreams of love. As her mother Lady Capulet insists on her marrying rich and handsome Paris, Juliet truly claims she isn’t looking for love and a husband and is definitely not desperate for a husband as she will meet her true love when the right time comes. She still dreams of love and romance yet she does say in the love story: Ill look to like, if looking liking move which provides insight and demonstrates how she isn’t desperate to meet her true love yet she dreams and imagines of finding him. Both Romeo and Juliet are very young with many child-like features and character traits; along with they do express a large amount of immaturity. Clearly they are not ready to truly fall in love as they are so young and still have traits and immaturities of young children. Another way of demonstrating they are not ready for such as serious relationship, they do not have a clear understanding what love truly is. Loving somebody is sacrificing yourself for the person you love and doing absolutely anything and everything for them and truly loving them with all your heart. Romeo and Juliet later throughout the story do express those things along with their affection for one another yet how as soon as they meet each other they assume that they are immediately in love with each other and want to get married that same night is a large statement and decision to come to. They tend to be very immature when it comes to emotional problems and conflicts especially highly emotional subjects and relationships therefore because of their immaturities and youth, they are not ready for a true, honest, loving relationship. Fate ultimately decided that they truly were not meant to be and although they claim they are star-crossed lovers and soul mates, fate knew something was not meant to be between the two, therefore fate along with many assumptions lead to the lovers Romeo and Juliet’s demise. The combination of assumption along with fate decided Romeo’s and Juliet’s destiny together and although it lead them into their own demise, assumption and fate is truly responsible for the couple’s death. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet were simply not meant to be as fate decided that furthermore, the power of assumption and fate is truly responsible for the demise of the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet.

Thailands Tourism Industry In The Globalization Era Tourism Essay

Thailands Tourism Industry In The Globalization Era Tourism Essay CHAPTER 1 At present, that the world is in the globalization era which causes more aggressive competition on businesses in several regions. This explain more about concepts of various countries in the free world or capitalistic world where there is the centre in the western countries those focus on development. As countries use developmental strategies to maintain economic, political, and military power and influence of the capitalistic world (Hongthongkham, 1976). Tourism today has become an industry that is now crucial to the world economy, it is now a widely held view that in almost every country tourism has grown, and has become a core product in the international trade of those counties. Tourism now rates between 1-3 out of the top 10 key industries globally this industry is now vital to economic prosperity (http://thai.tourismthailand.org/about-thailand/economy/, 2010). Thailand has a significant tourism industry which has the potential, with Government policies and assistance, to be developed much more this growth for Thailand provides an excellent source of foreign currencies. Since ancient times mankind has explored and travelled and now with modern technologies especially in transportation and communication, and an increasingly mobile world population there can be almost limitless growth. This growth has changed the way business is being done, from clusters of techniques to a more specialized planning organization. With market integration now called tourism industry is now a very important factor in the economies of many countries today (Nuntajak, 2010). The tourism industry of Thailand has change dramatically and is now a major industry in world tourism. Over the past decade, international tourist arrivals in Thailand have grown faster over the past 10 years, from 8.58 million in 1999 to 14.09 million arrivals in 2009 by the Tourist Authority of Thailand or TAT (2010). Thailand has been gaining an increasing market share of international tourists. During that period, the tourism industry has been one of the great significant sectors for economic growth and each year there were each tourists spending money, at least 3,000.00 baht per person per day when tourists come to Thailand (TAT 2009). For Thailand, the number of international tourists are increasing every year, a number of factors are responsible for tourism growth and development of the tourism industry in Thailand over other destinations, Owing to the friendly, welcoming, and peace loving nature of the Thai people. There are many reasons why Thailand appeals to wealthy tourists of foreign and different cultural destinations who have travelled to Thailand, to enjoy a unique and fulfilling experience. An important part of the Thailands tourism industry success is because of the physical geographic diversity of Thailand (TAT 2010). Due to Phuket, a part of Thailand, is another world class destination. This place is serenely beautiful and is well known for the beaches and the blue seas and also one of the top ten diving destinations in the world. There are many activities available around Phuket such as, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, parasailing, fishing, surfing beach, jet skis and the place for honeymooners. Generally Speaking, international tourists are focusing not only on the product, but also on the people who work for the hospitality and the tourism industry can give the right information to tourists. Therefore, there are many international tourists increasing arrivals to Phuket. According to the statistical reports by Department of Tourism (2006), the number of international tourists arrivals in Phuket was 1.2 million in 2008 and 1.1 million in 2009 and is now a significant share in the Thai market. The statistics showed the number of international tourists that generate revenue, prosperity to the local and more importantly to create a multi-professional occupations, such as interpreter, translator, waitresses, airline officers, including tourist guides who close with international tourists all through the time they are stay in Thailand (tourism.go.th, 2010). Moreover, tourist guides are the personnel group having roles in encouraging and supporting tourism. They are the cultural diplomat because they tell tourists about various stories on society, tradition, cultural arts, economy, and politics (Ritthirak, 2002). Therefore, tourist guides are a career which creates a lot of benefits to the country. But in fact, 22, 732 tourist guides apply for the tourist guide licenses from Tourist Guide and Tourism Business Registration Office on December 31, 2001. A tourist guide may have ability to use more than 1 language (Ritthirak, 2002). Before applying for the tourist guide licenses, those tourist guides have to pass the quality creating process in order to have knowledge, ability, moral, and code of conduct. In practice, Tourism Authority of Thailand coordinates and provides Tourist Guide Training Standard Curriculum for implementation of educational institutes in the university level all over the country. The standard curriculum contains basic knowledge subjects which are necessary for working. After receiving the training, tourist guides can bring the evidence to apply for the tourist guide licenses from Tourist Guides and Tourism Business Registration Office of Tourism Authority of Thailand. In the beginning the status of the tourist guide was not recognized. Supaporn Makjeang mentioned in Tourist Guide Principles (1996) that anyone could be a tourist guide if he or she could speak English and it was not necessary for them to receive high education. It was not until the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was founded in 1977 and the professional tourist guide training course was created that professional tourist guides were developed. The training courses have been operated until now and expanded to other major provinces. Moreover, the Professional Tourist Guide Association of Thailand was founded on July 29th 1975 as the center of all tourist guides (Tourist Guide Association Thailand, 1992). Nowadays, the basic knowledge of the tourist guide is mentioned as the basic requirement except from the fluency of foreign languages. This policy makes the university graduates get more jobs. Travel agencies always employ the tourist guides who finish the training courses from the institute guaranteed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). This stimulates people who are interested in the tourist guide occupation to finish the training before the job application. Moreover, some government places, especially the Grand Palace and the royal temples, allow only the tourist guides who already passed the training course and have tourist guide licenses to operate the tour (Khummanon, 1996). The expansion of tourism industry and the increasing of the number of tourist guides in Thailand, caused some immoral competitions among tourist guides. They try to do everything to get their own benefits regardless of the rules and their major duty. For example, do not do their job as best as they can, do not pay attention to their clients or take their clients to the shopping area where they received the commission, trying to persuade the tourists to believe that the goods and services are of high qualities with fair prices. In the case of jewelry, some tourist guides said the color mirror are the precious stone, some said gold but its only the metal guilt with gold or said the dog bones as tiger bones (Lookdamnoen, 1989). Lookdamnoen also advises that the first place where the travelers arrive in Bangkok, Bangkok International airport, there are some people trying to submit tendered place where the tourists can meet upon arrival and claim that they are the officers of the airport and favor some services, such as accommodation, sightseeing, excursion and transfer services. They advise some information with documents for tours and excursions with unfair price. In additional, the bad manners of tourist guides such as shouting, crapping to call tourist groups, showing boredom when some tourists came late for the appointment because of the misunderstanding of language or any mistake, showing anger when tourists ask for some explained information, etc (Charoenmuan, 1992). The Tourism Authority of Thailand in the conference of 1/1995 mentioned the tourist guides behaviors that ruin the reputation of their occupation as follows: Forcing tourists to purchase some optional tour by deceiving or intimidating the tourists to accept that tour beside the original deal with the tour company. Taking tourist to the cheating or unfair price shops so that they receive tip or commission from the shop. Requesting some tips or special payments by convincing the tourists to be sympathetic with the management that has no benefit. 4. Taking the tourists passports or air tickets until the tourists pay some additional costs. At the conference of 1/1996 there are some other behaviors that caused the bad reputation and the loss of the honor of the code of ethics as mentioned in the second Ministerial Regulations (1996) of the Act of the Tourist Business and Guide 2008. 1 Explaining or informing some unreal or incorrect information that causes harm to the nation, religion, and the monarchy. 2 Not performing his own duties as a tourist guide who should be concerned with the benefit of tourists as the first priority. 3 Being dishonest, seeking some improper benefit or forcing tourists to do something they are unwilling to do. 4 Disobeying the moral standard. 5 Not believing in the local tradition and regulation of each travelling place. Therefore, the above problems that can say the causes of Thai tourist guides unsuitable behaviors are based on the loss of their moral of the rules and they forgot the importance of their own duties, though they are educated from acceptable institutes as professional tourist guides. Therefore, the assumption of these is the lack of the code of ethics that is the basis of all behaviors and caused people to do the right or suitable things, concerning the collective benefits, and feel responsible for society. All these can be taken as the principle or rules of the suitable performance that the researcher is interested in the ethics of Thai tourist guides and the ways to solve them that can be applied to be the basic idea and promote the professional tourist guides effectively. Related Literature Tour guiding is a highly regarded profession today and being a tourist guide comes with great responsibilities as lives of people while on holiday are entrusted in tourists care. Therefore, it is of vital importance that tourist guides strictly follow and adhere to the tourist guide standards and professional tourist guides code of ethics in order to promote ethics and high moral behavior in the perspectives of international tourists who are travelling in Phuket. This study will look at related fields of business ethics, some ethical theories, moral, and tourist guides ethics in Thailand. Therefore literature review covers the following The importance of tourist guide Tourist guide situation in Thailand Classification of tourist guide in Thailand Qualifications of tourist guide Manners of tourist guide Role and responsibilities of tourist guide The Characteristics of tourist guide Code of ethics of tourist guide Business ethics Normative ethics Moral theory Virtue theory Duty theory 1.2.10 Related research 1.2.1 The importance of tourist guide A tourist guide is a significant component of the travel industry as he has the sole responsibility of taking care of the tourist including all travel arrangements of providing information and explanations (Pongsabuth, 1997). In addition, Supaporn Makjeang in the Principle of Tourist Guide (1996) mentioned that tourists are strangers to their destinations because they are not familiar with the local people, cultural and custom. When travelling alone without a tourist guide, they face problems and challenges and in most cases land up wasting their money and time. Therefore, with time, tourists have come to favor having a tourist guide for their trips. The term tourist guide is used in the travel business with on ease of the understand. However, academics have defined the concept of tourist guides more in terms of rules and responsibilities. A numeral of terms are use to explain those whose responsibility it is to take care of and to inform of tourists. Courier was the term most generally applied to describe tourist guide , today a courier can be called tour captain, tour escort, tour manager, and tourist guide (Jafari, 2000). During the 19th century Thomas Cook became the first travel company that operated group tours by train to Loughborough and other places in Europe (Kruttawacho, 2008). This required tourist guides who could explain and guide tourist on these trips. The Tourism Authority of Thailand in cooperation with Chulalongkorn University in 1961 (Mr. Sumonchart Sawaddikul, a professor at the Faculty of Arts), designed a training course training on professional tourist guides. The first tourist guides student for this course were the third year and upper Faculty of Arts students at Chulalongkorn University. Thereafter the course gained popularity and interested student began to in role. After Chulalongkorn University offered the course for 13 years, Silapakorn University implemented the same course for the first time in 1973 (Khummanon, 1996). In addition, the Humanities Faculty of Kasetsart University started the same course for its own students and opened a new tourism course for the graduated who were still unemployed. Nowadays the course has become widely recognize and other University as the Rajaphat and the Rangsit, ect. have capitalized on its importance and have started offering it to the general public. Due to tourism growth the government realized the need to pass a bill on standards and procedures for tourist guides. The bill stipulated that the Tourism Authority of Thailand be the support and controlling body for the tourist business and tourist guides, by making sure that they meet the standards required by law (that each tourist guide have a tourist guide license) as set out in the Tourist Business and Tourist Guide Act 2008 of Thailand (Tourism Authority of Thailand, 2010). The tourist guide licenses are issued after a person completes the training course arrange by the government service. Each course requires different levels of education. The qualifications stipulation is that one has to be a Thai citizen, aged 20 years or older, with good written and spoken Thai. Tourist guide situation in Thailand Increasing number of registered guides in Thailand demons that working as a tourist guide has become a popular career in the tourism industry. The language requirement in the number of tourist guides in Thailand, (see Figure 2.1). One reason of tourist guides increasing because students who studied in tourism industry course when their graduated TAT approves the tourist guide license. Therefore, the number of registered guides is quite high. Figure 2.1 Number of tourist guide license requirement and approval during January 2010 to November 2010 Source: Tourist Business and Guide Registration Office, Centre (2010) From the implementation year of the Tourist Business and Tourist Guide Act of 2008 until November 2010, there were 42,075 registration tourist guides in Thailand and 35,010 for General guide and 7,065 for Specific guide. Most tourist guide (30,781) was in English language (see Table 2.2) Figure 2.2 Tourist guide classification by languagesJ:ToonioWork_TWitoon20 02 54figure 2.2.jpg Source: Tourist Business and Guide Registration Office, Centre (2010) Classification of tourist guide in Thailand There are two main types of tourist guides: the general guide and the specific guide, as followings: General guide: a tour guide who has knowledge about general tours to places around the kingdom, able to speak Thai and also convey information in other languages to tourists. General guide (Foreign): silver bronze card color, a tour guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists all over the Kingdom in Thailand. General guide (Thai): golden bronze card color, a tour guide who can conduct tours specifically only for Thai tourists all over the kingdom in Thailand. Specific guide: a tour guide who has specialized knowledge; e.g. history, archeology, trekking, etc. to give the information to tourists with specific interests. Specific guide (Foreign-specific area): pink card color, a tour guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists only for provinces listed on the card and those in the adjacent areas. Specific guide (Thai-specific area): light blue card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours specifically for Thai tourists only using the provinces listed on the card and the provinces of adjacent areas. Specific guide (Forest trekking): green card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists specifically in the forest trekking areas. Specific guide (Art cultural): red card color, a tourist guide who conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists specifically on areas concerning history, archeology, art, cultural, or Thai literature all over the kingdom in Thailand. Specific guide (Marine): orange card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists specifically about history, archeology, art, cultural, or Thai literature to tours all over the kingdom of Thailand. Specific guide (Seashore): yellow card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists in the areas by the sea or on islands, with the distance from the coast to the tourist attractions of no more than 40 nautical miles. Specific guide (Natural destinations): purple card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists only on the natural attractions printed on the card. 2.8 Specific guide (Local cultural): brown card color, a tourist guide who can conduct tours for Thai and foreign tourists on the culture, history, geography, and archeology particularly within the local cultural attractions named on the card only. Moreover, there are three kinds of tourist guides; an on-site guide, a city guide and a specialized guide (Mancini, 1996). 1.2.4 Qualifications of tourist guide Wannathanom (2003) mentions that being a tourist guide, one should have some specific qualifications since it is a career for those who have to interact with many people from different cultures and different behaviors. Eighteen attributes which are of importance to the tourist guides were identified, which are Klamsaengsai (2006) mentioned that: Good personality: before taking care of others, the tourist guide has to initially concentrate on his or herself, especially with regards to cleanliness and overall neatness. Human relations: this is about the ability to impress tourists and to create friendships with their automatically. Be a knowledgeable person: the tourist guide should be erudite about the destination and related topics, and possess a broad and deep knowledge for the benefits of the tourists. Eloquence: in the career of a tourist guide cannot be avoided because verbal communication is one tool for achieving success. Perceptiveness: good tourist guides should be able to notice and memorize surroundings quicker than tourists, since some notices can be useful for the tourist guide in answering popular questions from tourists. Service mentality: this qualifying is most important for tourist guide who works in the service industry. Tourist guides need to have the spirit of being a service provider to make others happy instead of doing the work just for money or temporary experiences. Travel Experience: the more travel experience they have the more confident the tourist guide will be. Punctuality High responsibility: one big responsibility of the tourist guide is to take care of all tourists, all throughout their traveling, therefore tourist guides cannot abandon their duties of looking after the tourist. Punctuality is one significant thing that the tourist guide who acts as a tour leader needs to respect. Patience: the tourism industry can be called a people based industry where both demand and supply are mainly related to individuals with different characteristics. If there is pressure from tourists or other problems, tourist guides have to refrain themselves. Intelligence: this does not mean being a genius but tourist guides have to be conscious of every situation and so that everything goes smoothly. Sense of humor: not exactly like a comedian, but tourist guides should have some talent in sharing jokes and general information. Good mentality and good health: in tourist guides, it is a hard based type of work taking care of a group of tourists. Tourist guides always have limited time to relax, therefore they should take care of themselves as well. Good memory: besides recognizing tourist information, tourist guides must try to remember. Then, they can call tourists by their correct name and making a tourist impression Leadership: in conducting tours, tourists always believe that the tourist guide is the head or the leader of the tour who can help them in every difficulty. Tourist guides should be able to control the group. Honesty: this is the quality needed for every career including that of the tourist guide who have to take care of tourists, follow the itinerary, or recommend good shops to tourists without cheating. Foreign Language: in case of inbound or outbound tours, proficiency in foreign languages, especially English is one important attribute for tourist guides to achieve in communicating with foreign tourists and to make the tour go smoothly. Be enthusiastic: as being a leader of the group, tourist guides need to be active and reactive anytime to make tourists feel confident. Problem solving ability: for both predicable and unpredictable problems, tourist guides are the heroes in the eyes of tourists, so they have to use their experience and their talent to solve the problem. Referring to H.Q. Zhang, I. Chow (2004) conducted to assess tourist guide performance that service quality of tourist guide should/should be or has as followings: Punctuality Ability to solve problems Knowledge of the destination Honesty and trustworthiness Knowledge of information about safety regulations Ability to deliver the service promised in itinerary Politeness Being good at presentation skills Well trained Ability to briefing visitors on daily itinerary Ability to respect for customer Ability in communicating in foreign languages Ability to being friendliness Ability to general friendly atmosphere Ability to neat and tidy appearance Ability to always being available for help Ability to paying attention to detail Ability to informing visitors about destinations customs Ability to introducing reliable shops Ability to sense of humor According to Hall mentions that in Handbook of Professional Tour Management (1993) the tourist guides should have some qualifications that make an advantage trip as follows: The ability to attract prospects: the tourist guide should be a positive sales factors, some travelers want a status symbol, and security. Tourist guide should be able to command and control the group by the follow factors. Knowledge of the area: tourist guide should knowledge of historical place and have been there before when the tourist guide speak with more empower to advice facilities and attractions, to assess the period of travel days, and to remember and handle the possible problems. First aid skills: tourist guide must be prudent about any medical burdens. And another skills as artificial respiration, CPR, water safety, and first echelon first aid are important. Having someone available in these areas to provide the convenient thing to tourist. Forcefulness and decisiveness: tourist guide should have able to manage people and decision making. This is no job for an unsteady, timid personality. A positive outlook: tourist guide should be an optimist and optimism must be made communicate, definite maturity is essential, enabling them to maintain a perspective to communicate this with confidence. Honesty and loyalty: tourist guide should have moral must be practiced on behalf of the tourist guide, no cheating the tourist. This is both unfair and unwise, and ultimately reflects on the escort. Assertiveness: tourist guide had better possess self-assurance, self-pride, and a certain amount of ego. When a receptionist insists there are fully single rooms as promised by the vouchers, tourist guide must be stable. Get me a supervisor this does not mean being loud and abusive, or acting tough; that it mean exhibiting inner strength and resolution. It means insisting on the rights of the tourists. A claim demeanor: the best tourist guide do not panic, even internally. They are able to think clearly when riot threatens. A warm personality: tourist guide must be a bit of the commanding officer in the tour, while establishing leadership credentials, must still communicate a sunny disposition, flash that ready amile, and reveal an enthusiastic. Tourists expect their escort be lively, gifted with attractive voices, and having that essential sense of humor. A clean and neat appearance: tourists can afford to look casual or untidy, but tourist guide present a perpetually appearance. Tourists wonder how he or she can keep looking fresh. Good health: tourist guide should be reasonable a good health, free from weaken complaints, and blesses with a reserve of power. Tourist guide must always be up and stay ahead of their passengers who wake up first and sometimes the last to bed. Even when the escort is not feeling in top form. Tourist guide should have ability to bounce back from the head cold or upset stomach, along with the power to persevere. Flexibility: tourist guide should have ability to change directions when they might face with equipment breakdowns, failure in communication, disagreeable and troublesome passengers, illness, natural disasters, transportation delays, and so on. Anticipation: tourist guide figures out in advance everything that might go wrong and tries to insure against this occur. That means frequent conversations with the bus driver or cruise personnel, advance phone calls, a survey of facilities before leading in the group Negative qualities: the thing that the tourist guide should acknowledge tourist do not want the tourist guide who are dishonest, who are congenitally lazy, whose manner is abrasive, who are frightened and unstable, and who have no talent for managing others. Therefore, there is not yet concluded rather than well-designed to give all conclusions of the tourist guides qualifications. In what it mostly depends on governments tourism policys development and adaptation of each country Manners of tourist guide Manners and ethics of tourist guides is their verbal behavior, interaction and the best practices of tourist guides in order to maintain prestige of the professional status, and professional tourist guides who make a profession of honor which has been respected as representatives of the country and the Thai people (Makchang, 1996). Tourist guides are responsible the full time and not leave tourists on their own. Integrity to tourists do to not lose the integrity tourists benefits such as, taking the tourists to buy only at shops where tourist guides get more commission with no regard for the quality of the product. Tourist guides should understand that they are in the position of service providers to tourists and not show inappropriate reactions to tourists when tourists do not perform according to schedule. Tourist guides should have an understanding of the desires and needs of their tourist. They should also give equal attention to everyone, and maintain harmony. Tourist guides should have compassion, A desire for others to be happy the purpose of tourism is to help as tourists want to be happy and enjoy travel that tourist guides can willingly provide to tourists.

The Vikings Essay -- Scandinavian Pirates History Vikings Essays

The Vikings The word Viking in the Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language says that the word Viking means the following. â€Å"Vi†¢king 1. any of the Scandinavian pirates who plunder the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries. 2. a sea-roving bandit: pirate. 3. a Scandinavian. 4. U.S. Aerospace. One of a series of space probes that obtained scientific information about Mars.† (1) The Vikings lived about one thousand years ago in the lands that we now call Iceland, Lapland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. To most people the Vikings were raiders that got in their longboats and sailed somewhere and then went from town to town killing and pillaging. This is not completely true, because the Vikings were also great adventurers. They set up trading links and looked for land that they could settle down make a home and have a farm. But not to say that the Vikings weren’t fierce warriors, because they were great warriors that won almost every early battle. Although they never had an empire, the King of Denmark ruled Norway and England for a brief time from 1030 to 1035.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Vikings had many reasons for leaving their homeland and living up to being the great adventurers that they were. One reason to leave was that the land that the Vikings were living in was becoming over populated, such that one family couldn’t own as much land, as he would like. Also the land in Scandinavia, that they lived on was very mountainous and had very little land that could be farmed. Likewise Sweden contained many forests that made it not fit for farming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Viking people were divided up into different classes much like many other societies. They were divided up by how much land and money that they had. There were the â€Å"kings† that ruled over each township. Below him came the rich noblemen, or jarls. The king and the jarls were the most powerful people in a township. Then below the jarls there were the freemen or the karls, which included craftsmen, merchants, and farmers. At the very bottom of the totem pole were the slaves otherwise known as thralls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The majority of Vikings spent very little time away from home on raids. Instead they were at home working as farmers, growing oats, barley, rye, and vegetables, and tending to their cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. They also kept fruits, such as apples, and nuts such as hazelnuts and walnut... ... Inc,  ©1996, page 2122 2. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 49 3. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 49 4. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 50 5. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 54 6. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 54 7. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 27 8. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 27 Bibliography 1. Done by Committee. Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. New York, NY; Random House Value Publishing, Inc,  ©1996. 2. Martell, Hazel Mary. What Do We Know About The Vikings? New York, NY; Simon & Schuster Young Books,  ©1992. 3. Ganeri, Anita. Focus On Vikings. New York, NY; Aladdin Books,  ©1992 4. Streissguth, Thomas. Life Among the Vikings. San Diego, California; Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999 5. http://www.sandiaprep.org/library/bib/bib.html 6. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vikings/village.html For the video’s on CD. The Vikings Essay -- Scandinavian Pirates History Vikings Essays The Vikings The word Viking in the Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language says that the word Viking means the following. â€Å"Vi†¢king 1. any of the Scandinavian pirates who plunder the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries. 2. a sea-roving bandit: pirate. 3. a Scandinavian. 4. U.S. Aerospace. One of a series of space probes that obtained scientific information about Mars.† (1) The Vikings lived about one thousand years ago in the lands that we now call Iceland, Lapland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. To most people the Vikings were raiders that got in their longboats and sailed somewhere and then went from town to town killing and pillaging. This is not completely true, because the Vikings were also great adventurers. They set up trading links and looked for land that they could settle down make a home and have a farm. But not to say that the Vikings weren’t fierce warriors, because they were great warriors that won almost every early battle. Although they never had an empire, the King of Denmark ruled Norway and England for a brief time from 1030 to 1035.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Vikings had many reasons for leaving their homeland and living up to being the great adventurers that they were. One reason to leave was that the land that the Vikings were living in was becoming over populated, such that one family couldn’t own as much land, as he would like. Also the land in Scandinavia, that they lived on was very mountainous and had very little land that could be farmed. Likewise Sweden contained many forests that made it not fit for farming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Viking people were divided up into different classes much like many other societies. They were divided up by how much land and money that they had. There were the â€Å"kings† that ruled over each township. Below him came the rich noblemen, or jarls. The king and the jarls were the most powerful people in a township. Then below the jarls there were the freemen or the karls, which included craftsmen, merchants, and farmers. At the very bottom of the totem pole were the slaves otherwise known as thralls.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The majority of Vikings spent very little time away from home on raids. Instead they were at home working as farmers, growing oats, barley, rye, and vegetables, and tending to their cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats. They also kept fruits, such as apples, and nuts such as hazelnuts and walnut... ... Inc,  ©1996, page 2122 2. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 49 3. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 49 4. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 50 5. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 54 6. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 54 7. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 27 8. Streissguth, Thomas, â€Å"Life Among the Vikings†, Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999, page 27 Bibliography 1. Done by Committee. Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language. New York, NY; Random House Value Publishing, Inc,  ©1996. 2. Martell, Hazel Mary. What Do We Know About The Vikings? New York, NY; Simon & Schuster Young Books,  ©1992. 3. Ganeri, Anita. Focus On Vikings. New York, NY; Aladdin Books,  ©1992 4. Streissguth, Thomas. Life Among the Vikings. San Diego, California; Lucent Books, Inc,  ©1999 5. http://www.sandiaprep.org/library/bib/bib.html 6. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vikings/village.html For the video’s on CD.

Langston Hughes Biography :: essays research papers

Langston Hughes was born at the turn of the century. Hughes spent a rootless childhood moving from place to place with his mother who was separated from his father. During one year in high school, Hughes spent time with his father in Mexico, a light-skinned man who found an escape from racism in ranching. It was in that very high school that Hughes wrote his first poem after being elected â€Å"class poet† by his fellow classmates. His father was James Nathaniel Hughes, a man who studied law but was unable to take the examination for the bar because he was black. His mother was Carrie Hughes, a woman who studied at the University of Kansas, in an ongoing struggle to earn a living outside of domestic labor. With aid from his father, Hughes attended Columbia University, but soon became disgusted with university life and immersed himself in his first love—the poetry, jazz and blues of Harlem. Hughes supported himself in odd jobs like being a nightclub doorman while he traveled to places like West Africa, Italy, and Paris. During this time, Hughes wrote poems that earned him a scholarship to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. His first published poem was also one of his most famous, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", which was published in The Brownie’s Book. Some of the poems by Hughes provide political protests or social criticism, while others depict poverty, prejudice, and hopelessness in the life of an African American in Harlem. Later, his poems, short plays, essays, and short stories appeared in the NAACP publication Crisis Magazine; they were also showcased in Opportunity Magazine as well as other publications. One of Hughes' finest essays appeared in print in 1926, entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.† His grandmother, Mary Sampson Patterson Leary Langston, was very prominent in the African American community of Lawrence, Kansas.

The Characterization of Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora N

In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston which is set in the 1930’s explores the life of an African American women from the south, that trying to find herself. The protagonist of this novel is Janie Crawford. In the novel, Janie is going on a journey to find who she really is and to find spiritual enlightenment. To help shape Janie character in this novel Hurston is influence by the philosophical view from the Romanticism, and Realism movement in addition she is influence by the social events that were happing in the Modernism period. Even though when Zora Neale Hurston wrote the inspiring novel in 1937 right at the end of the modernism era, Hurston was influence by the philosophy from the modernism movement. During this time, which took place between 1880-1860 people, determined things by using their feeling over reason and nature over civilization? â€Å"That brought her wide awake. She bolted upright and peered out of the window and saw Johnny Taylor lacerating her Janie with a Kiss. â€Å"Janie!† the old woman’s voice was so†¦in command and reproof†¦that Janie half...

Administrative Ethics Essay

This article presents a case study highlighting the conflict between an individual’s right to privacy and the rights of patients and staff to know when a professional standard has been breached. The process by which the administrator determines a course of action is reviewed in the context of workplace realities through an ethical analysis. The growth of information systems and the increased involvement of third parties in decision-making have created new issues regarding confidentiality and the release of sensitive information for health care personnel who are in a position of public trust. The issues facing nursing administrators are complex, and of particular concern are the conflicting demands of providing quality care with limited resources. The authors identify strategies to deal with the workplace issues that give rise to the potential for abuse as well as the strategies to support an impaired colleague who attempts to reenter the workforce (Badzek, Mitchell, Marra, & Bower, 1998). When asking the general public what health care ethics and health care privacy mean, most will relate that they are about protecting patients. Health care ethics and health care privacy do exist to protect patients and to ensure that care is delivered with moral and ethical standards. Health care ethics not only apply to patients, but to organizations as well. The rapidly changing world of health care is witnessing a growing need for institutional ethics that includes ethical employer-employee relations. The article cited in this paper highlights two managers that encounter an employee diverting narcotics on the job, how each manager deals with this incident, and the ethical dilemma of whether this employee is entitled to confidentiality or if fellow staff should be informed of the narcotic abuse. Identifying and analyzing the ethical question is how the best possible solution may be determined. By examining the issue and its impact on the population affected, discussing the proposed solution, and highlighting the ethical and legal implications of the issue will explain managerial responsibilities in this case. Issue and Impact The article reflects the ethical dilemma of whether or not an employee who has been identified as using diverted narcotics on the job is entitled to confidentiality or if the staff involved with the employee are entitled to know about the drug abuse. Jackie is a nurse that has returned to work after taking many years off to raise a family. She takes a job at a hospital working in the flexible staffing pool. As time passes, Jackie finds that work is extremely stressful because she rarely works in the same unit. She is asked to pass meds and perform work she is unfamiliar with and despite asking for help, has not received adequate support. The increasing stress leads Jackie to divert narcotics. Jackie’s diversion of narcotics goes unnoticed for quite awhile because she works in so many different units. She is eventually discovered when she spends three weeks in the same unit covering for someone’s vacation. Michele and Karen are both nursing administrators involved in Jackie’s case. Jackie reports directly to Karen, who is head of the flexible nursing pool. Michele is the nursing administrator of the unit Jackie was discovered diverting narcotics from. Karen makes the decision to grant Jackie a leave of absence to pursue rehabilitation. The stipulation of completion of the rehabilitation program will allow Jackie to return to her job. Karen does not report Jackie to the State Board of Registered Professional Nurses because she is actively engaging in rehabilitation activities. Following these events, Michele meets with the human resources director, the nurse manager of the unit Jackie was working on when the drugs were diverted, and the chair of the nursing ethics committee to determine if further action should be taken. Michele believes that Jackie has a right to privacy and confidentiality, but thinks that an open staff discussion is needed to highlight for the staff the prevalence of nurse addiction. She also wants to identify if anyone knew or suspected Jackie’s diversion of narcotics and didn’t act. Karen’s concern is motivated by not knowing how to handle Jackie’s issue should she return to work and by the fact that Jackie compromised patient’s pain relief by diverting their narcotics. Karen objected to planning an open staff meeting because she felt  it would compromise Jackie’s confidentiality. Supporting the Proposed Solution The issues to address involve separating the greater good of the patient population and the rights of the other staff from the individual right of Jackie’s confidentiality. Karen believes that confidentiality should be protected without exception and that the corrective action initiated by the administration was adequat e. Karen also argues that if Jackie’s situation becomes common knowledge to staff, they might fear that other confidential information will be shared by administration. Michele believes that Jackie’s actions warranted a discussion with the nursing staff to determine if anyone knew or suspected and why they did not act. Despite Jackie’s willing participation in rehabilitation, she still needs to self-report to the State Board of Nursing. Mandatory reporting for most state boards includes actual or suspected drug diversion (Arizona State Board of Nursing, 2012). The State Board of Nurse Examiners assesses each report and can take disciplinary action, ranging from a reprimand, probation, suspension, revocation, or refusal to renew a license (Badzek et al., 1998). Michele needs to collect information about her organizational policy and procedures in relation to impaired employees. The state Nurse Practice Act provides standards of practice that reflect current state laws and regulations. In the absence of relevant law, ethics help determine what is morally acceptable (Weinstein, 1995). Information regarding the ethical and proper managemen t of nurses with substance abuse problems is also available through the American Associations of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The arguments for protecting private information are closely linked to human dignity and respect (Garrett, Baillie, & Garrett, 2009). It is incredibly important for Michele to utilize all of these resources to sort through her legal and ethical obligations to patients, Jackie, other staff, and her profession. Managerial Responsibility Michele ultimately honors Jackie’s privacy and confidentiality, but in order to fulfill her ethical obligation to the nursing profession, she also finds solutions to place measures to provide competent, ethical nursing conduct. Solutions include: 1) clarifying policies and issues of employee  confidentiality 2) Identifying and developing education for administration in identification of ethical issues and decision making 3) Reviewing and improving policy in regards to impaired employees 4) Educating all staff about the signs and symptoms of drug abuse, reporting requirements, and the available resources. Conclusion When discussing privacy and c onfidentiality in healthcare we often assume that this is in regards to patients only. What the healthcare community is finding is that it is equally important to have clear policy and code regarding privacy in employer-employee relations. Ethical dilemmas are complex and require collection of all pertinent information to find ethical solutions. This paper highlighted an ethical dilemma that involved a choice between honoring an employee’s privacy and disclosing important information involving substance abuse to the other staff. Examining the facts and collecting information from professional organizations and regulatory agencies assisted in reaching an ethical decision. Not only was the employee’s privacy honored, the organization improved processes to recognize and deal with substance abuse more effectively.

People money markets

After a few years of using the fiat system, the country of Monolayer decides to review Its monetary Institutions. Its economy has been quite volatile. Inflation has been high and the currency has depreciated. All this has caused foreign investment to drop dramatically. Currently, its central bankers are elected every two years. The country is considering a gold standard versus an independent central bank. What's the best way to go? Why? Answer: Monoplane's should consider Independent central bank over the gold standard.In the long run, the Independent central bank will be most suitable for a country with a volatile economy. It has certain advantages over the gold standard. Individuals have more certainty in the Central Bank; thus this serves to decrease Inflationary expectations. This makes Inflation low and steady. Another reason to keep Central banks independent from government In that governments have a tendency to settle on poor choices about fiscal strategy. Specifically when th ere is a tendency to be impacted by political contemplations.Therefore, when central bank Is independent such ulterior motives of government officials have no Impact on a country's economic state. Typically before elections, governments are enticed to cut interest rates. This expands investment development, diminishes unemployment and increments the political back of the gathering. On the other hand, this expansionary monetary policy might prompt inflation and blast and bust economic cycles. Therefore, It Is better to take financial approach out of government's hand so they are not able to play with a counters economy for their arsenal gains.Another reason to choose Independent central bank over gold standard is that gold standard limits the economic growth. Therefore, the country should continue to have fiat system with Independent central bank. Q. You're running the central bank off country called Cazenovia. The central bank that you lead is not Independent. So whenever the Prime Minister calls you to suggest that something be done, you obey. The Prime Minister calls you one day complaining that the currency is too high. Apparently, exporters are concerned thatScandinavia high currency rate is making them lose business abroad. What could you do as a central banker to get the currency to decline? Answer: As a banker, there are several possibilities to cause the currency value to depreciate and still keep the economy strong. Interest rates and currency exchange rates are correlated. To get the currency of Conclave to decline, it is required by the central bank to decrease lending rates. Another way Is to devalue the currency. By making It cheaper for the outside world to buy our goods and services at a lesser value than for the holders ofConvivial currency to purchase foreign goods and services. This will maintain the interest of foreign investors in our economy and they will pour more money into the economy. The exporters can keep make profits abroad. Further more, central banks can directly Increase the supply of money on the foreign exchange markets. It can 1 OFF This will increase the supply of Convivial money on the foreign exchange market, and decrease the supply of foreign currency, causing a depreciation in the value of the our currency.

Kant Moral Law Theory Essay

â€Å"Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe the oftener and more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.† – Kant (1788), pp, 193, 259 Immanuel Kant introduced and initiated his ‘moral law theory’ in the late 18th century. The doctrine in question sought to establish and constitute a supreme or absolute principle of morality. Kant disputes the existence of an ‘ethical system’, whereby moral obligations are obligations of ‘purpose’ or ‘reason’. The accuracy of actions [i.e. the rightness or wrongness of an individual deed] is determined by its configuration and conformity with regard to ‘moral law’. Evidently, according to Kant, an immoral transaction is invariably contemplated as an illogical or unreasonable occurrence or action. The supreme moral principle is a consistent â€Å"working criterion† that proves to be â€Å"practically helpful and theoretically enlightening† when used by rational agents as a guide for making personal choices (Kant VI). A supreme guiding moral principle must carry with it an absolute necessity and be done out of duty to the moral law in order to be free from corruption. Kant believed in a fair and impartial law. He accredited and affirmed the presence of an objective moral law that we, as humans, were/are able to identify with through the process of reasoning. Kant argued that we are able to recognise and distinguish moral law, without making reference to the possible consequence or outcome. Immanuel Kant declared a differentiation between statements [i.e. posteriori and priori] that he believed to coincide with moral law. A posteriori statement is one that is based on experience of the material world. In opposition, a priori statement requires no such knowledge; it is known independent of the phenomenal world. Furthermore, Kant continued to make additional distinctions with regard to analytic and synthetic statements. An analytic statement, he claims, is one that by its very nature is necessarily true, as the predicate is included within the definition of the subject. Example: – [â€Å"all squares have four sides†]. The previous statement is of an analytic nature, as the predicate, i.e. the square having four sides, is implicit and is part of the definition of the subject – [â€Å"square†]. An analytic statement is necessarily true – true by its own authority, and is purely explicative, as it tells us nothing new about the subject. In contrast, a synthetic statement is one in which the predicate is not included in the definition of the subject, and thus is not necessarily true. A synthetic statement also tells us something new about the subject. Prior to Kant, it was widely accepted that there were only two types of statement: a priori analytic and a posteriori synthetic. Kant accepted these two statements although believed there to be a third: a priori synthetic statement. These are statements that are known independent of experience that may or may not be true. Kant claimed that these priori synthetic principles are inherent within us and therefore subsequently form the basis of all moral decision making. Kant’s theory is based on and is primarily concerned with the aspect of ‘duty’. Kant believed and promoted the notion that to act morally is one’s ‘duty’, and one’s ‘duty’ is to act and proceed in accordance to the principles of moral law. Due to this, Kant’s theory is categorised and distinguished as a ‘deontological argument’. A deontological theory is one that maintains the moral rightness or wrongness of an action and depends on its fundamental qualities, and is independent of the nature of its consequence – â€Å"Duty for duty’s sake†. This perspective can be viewed in contrast to the beliefs and ‘rules’ associated and belonging to teleological arguments, i.e. utilitarianism. Immanuel Kant argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality he dubbed the â€Å"Categorical Imperative. The categorical imperative has derived from the initial belief and notion that humans base their moral judgment on pure reason alone. This view can be viewed in contrast to a ‘morality theory’, which assumed/s that human’s actions are guided by emotions or desires. Example: When deciding what I ought to say to a friend who is distraught. Rationale would dictate that I give sensible advice, whereas my emotions may impulsively tell me to give comfort and sympathy. The categorical imperative declares and differentiates between obligatory and forbidden actions, and places further emphasis on the notion of ‘duty’. This statement can be strengthened through the following quotation – [â€Å"All in imperatives command either hypothetically or categorically†¦ If the action would be good simply as a means to something else, then the imperative is hypothetical; but if the action is represented as a good in itself†¦ then the imperative is categorical.†]. Example: If someone tells me that they will buy me dinner if I give them a lift into town, then this is a conditional action and would fall into the hypothetical imperative category. Conversely, if I think that I should give my friend a lift into town with no other agenda (i.e. she will not buy me dinner because of it), then this is a categorical imperative because it is independent of my interest and could apply to other people as well as myself. There are three principles of the categorical imperative: * Universal law; * Treat humans as ends in themselves; * Act as if you live in a kingdom of ends. 1. The categorical imperative is [â€Å"Do not act on any principle that cannot be universalised†]. In other words, moral laws must be applied in all situations and all rational beings universally, without exception. 2. [â€Å"Act that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in the person of every other human being, never merely as a means, but always at the time as an end.†] – The previous statement declares that we must never treat people as means to an end. You can never use human beings for another purpose, to exploit or enslave them. Humans are rational and the highest point of creation, and so demand unique treatment. 3. The quotation [â€Å"So act as if you were through your maxim a law-making member of a Kingdom of ends†] states Kant’s belief in the fact that humans should behave as though every other individual was an ‘end’. In conclusion, it is arguable that the categorical imperative possesses a sense of authority with regard to what actions are permitted and forbidden under Kant’s moral law theory.

Black on Black Crime Essay

Black on black violence is an enormous problem in the African-American community. Living in a neighborhood that is mostly minority, many may have witnessed a lot of black on black violence. The black on black violence has continued to arise in many communities and continues to be a problem around the world. Black on black violence is ignorant, and many black Americans should be coming together instead of killing one another. African-Americans people should be helping each other achieve in the world, instead of putting one another. By African-Americans killing one another, it proves to other races that black people do not know how to act, and that we are truly ignorant in this world. African-Americans need to realize that all we have is each other and by killing each other we show that brotherly love does not exist among our own. Studies show that 1 and 146 African-American males are at the risk of a violent death, whereas the ratio for Caucasian men is 1 and 189. This study shows that African-American men are more likely to become the victim of a violent death than a Caucasian man. This study is saddening because African-American people should be making a difference in the world by proving we are better than what people make African-Americans out to be. In another study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (covering reported violent crime that occurred between 1993-98) when the offender had been identified, 76% of the time the violence was intra-racial. [2]. † Enrico Ferri, a student of Lombroso, considered Black people to be of an â€Å"inferior race† and more prone to crime than others. In 2008 a total of 40 homicides were committed in Little Rock, 54% were committed by blacks against blacks. Nationally, homicide is the leading cause of death for young black men ages 10-24, and the second leading cause of death for black women ages 15-24. The effect of this violence in the African-American community is tremendous; Violence is very much part of what it means to be Black in America. These studies are very high when it comes to showing how violent African-Americans are, and what they are capable of. African-American people should look at these studies and want to make a difference, if not for them, then for the future of the African-American race that have to suffer the consequences for the actions of others. The cause for all of this black on black violence is the gang violence that has been rapidly increasing as the years have passed. All of these people that are a part of a gang, go around killing people because of a street that they do not even own. So many African-Americans become a part of a gang because they probably do not have love and support at home. Since they do not get it there, they run to the streets to be with people that they think care about them and will give them support. Many young boys that are from gangs feel, since they grew up around gangs, then they might as well become a part of one. The boys that are in these gangs think their purpose for being in a gang is to protect the street they live on. But what they do not realize is that their lives are put in danger when they try to protect something not even theirs. Whether in the Black community, or any community, we know that there are some factors that correlate with a lower rate of violence. Two of the leading ones are: economic stability and strong social networks. Communities in which people have their basic needs met correlate with a lower incidence of violence. Both of these will be difficult to achieve until racism is addressed (see reason number one) and African-Americans achieve equal opportunity. This statement is true because, if African-Americans had the same opportunities as Caucasians and had way more to look forward to, then maybe African-Americans would not commit these violent crimes. Another way to help reduce black on black crime is to talk about it more in the media or in public forum. This would help directly and indirectly those affected by black on black crime. The Center for Healing Hearts and Spirits created a Media Awareness Campaign that educated 200,000 community residents on black on black crime. They also hosted a crime summit that had over 1,200 people to part take in it. If there were more information and awareness available about this rising act of violence between African Americans, maybe there would not be as many homicides involving blacks. African-Americans need to realize that life is more important than taking someone else’s life. Now a day, people take life for granted and act like it is something to play with. When people do not care about their own life, how can they care about the person whose life that they are taking? This is a problem with people today; they do not care about nothing in life so they take it out on the next person. Years past, African-Americans would get spit on, beaten, and put in jail just because they were black. They were not killing people; they were punished because of their skin color. If more African-Americans appreciated the life that they were given and respected others, maybe more could learn how to get along and come together as a people.

Answer questions from articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer questions from articles - Essay Example Schor explains that these statistics underpin the need for the revival of the discourse that will call all individuals and households to reconsider their material requirements. In order for this right to be enforced, she suggests that governments should guarantee their citizens of employment, supply their basic needs, and consider using government income vouchers or transfers (Schor 7). A second element that Schor believes can help overcome the problems in American consumerism is an emphasis on quality of life rather than quantity of stuff. Schor states that it was in the 1970s that the indicators of the quality of the life of Americans stopped reflecting their incomes and the country’s Gross Domestic Product. She states that there is evidence suggesting that earning an income above the poverty line does not necessarily improve an individual’s well-being. She asserts that the lack of emphasis on well-being among the people above the poverty line is an indication of people’s concern with relative rather than absolute income. She states that an alternative explanation to the unlikely relationship between income and well-being could be the fact that increased output undermines factors yielding welfare (Schor 7). She observes that this is seen in the increase in work time, the decline in family leisure and time for one’s community. She offers that these two things exemplify the inverse relationship between growth and social capital. Growth and increased materialism affects a person’s appreciation of personal meaning, social commitment, community, religion, and family, all of which are alternative sets of values. She advises that the labor market should be restructured to allow workers more time to themselves and that companies that require their workers to work for excessive hours should be penalized. Schor believes that this will serve as an alternative indicator of GNP,

Assignments 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Assignments 1 - Essay Example The company just arrived in North Sea fields several years ago. By the time LINK650 was setting up in North Sea fields, there was so much excitement about the arrival. This prompted many job seekers to apply for various technical and non-technical jobs within the company. One of the lucky people to have gotten the chance to work for LINK650 as a non-technical employee was Shaun O’Neil. Specifically, O’Neil was given a drilling job, which was dangerous but well-paying and with more time off. Having being selected among a pool of many applicants, O’Neil and his colleagues at LINK650 were so happy and enthusiastic about their new jobs. To them, this represented a great opportunity to showcase their talents, apply their knowledge, and gain some income. The new hires were initially pleased with the recruitment process that was used in selecting them. O’Neil was particularly impressed by the recruitment team because they showed concern about their welfare while working in the oil drills. It is only later on that it emerged that the recruiters were actually hired from a consulting firm with specialization in recruitment and hiring. Apparently, O’Neil and his colleagues had not actually met or interacted with any manager from the LINK Company during the entire recruitment and selection period. Just after a few months of starting work, real problems began to emerge. Although some of the new non-technical hires had previous experience on oil fields, they were shocked to find that the experience they found at LINK650 was not close to what they had anticipated. Their welfare and safety as employees working in dangerous conditions were not taken care of. They had to work under dirty and very cold conditions. This caused some of the employees to resign. As if that was not enough, the supervisors in the company were too harsh on the new hires. They treated the employees badly by being abusive blatantly

The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay Essay

The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay - Essay Example With these ideas, they come up with a symbol of the two- The Escapist. This paper will look into the unfolding in the book giving a clear understanding of the same. The Escapist is the alter ego of Joe and Sam in several ways. Joe is a trained escapist. As such, he is able to escape most of the challenging things he faces just like the Escapist. He manages to escape the reign of the Nazis in Prague. He even uses his artistic creativity put the experience on paper. There are instances were he also escapes. The happy relationship he had with Rosa, for instance. He also escapes the carbon monoxide poisoning, madness, his family, as well as, Sammy. Joe is a real-life escapist in the novel. Sammy escapes from reality through daydreaming. He manages to escape from having to travel with his father. Another instance where Sammy’s escapism is manifested is when he escapes from providing for his family; mother and grandmother. However, his escapist nature is brought out more clearly when he escapes from the reality of his being homophobic. When he is publicly said to be a homosexual, he is relieved. The alter ego is crucial for the Escapist. This other self revealed in the escapist gives a leeway for the escapist to avoid some situations that are challenging. Realism is heightened with the escapist roaming the world to rescue those chained by despotism. An insight of the lives of Joe and Sammy is brought out. Escapism and their alter egos play vital roles in bringing out the stories of their lives. The feelings of these characters are brought out in many instances. Feelings of guilt on exuberant living are felt by Sammy. His sexual orientation is also brought out revealing some of the intimate issues affecting the characters. Love and happiness is also explored within the escapism theme. Both Joe and Sammy find love in Rosa and Tracy. Joe leaves Rosa after he fails to protect his brother. He considers himself a failure thus the

Seminar question unit 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar question unit 4 - Assignment Example Nutrition screening can benefit the prevention of heart diseases through identifying the nutritional characteristics related to the heart diseases (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). Studies have indicated that one of the key prevention measures to reduce the alarming rate of mortality due to heart diseases is through good understanding of the right diet for the body. Consequently, nutrition screening in this area will identify individuals with high level of density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that is responsible for accumulation of plaque in the arteries increasing the risks for heart attack. The identification of the heart related nutritional problems would use a criteria based on diet, height and weight, obesity, and diagnosis to determine the blood pressure level. This will benefit the patient by primarily determining their vulnerability to the heart diseases (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). In addition, the patient will learn on how to adopt an appropriate diet strategy for sufficient vitamins, nutrients, and calories in the body. Consequently, patients will not only reduce risk of heart diseases, but also improve the body’s immune

International Negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Negotiation - Essay Example The most successful battle for the Americans during this war happened in New Orleans - months after the Treaty of Ghent, signed in Belgium, had brought the war to a close. There was no satellite phone, no telegram that could travel from Belgium to New Orleans in time to head off the bloody battle. Another factor that kept diplomatic efforts to broker peace agreements at a minimum was the fact that technological constraints kept wars from spreading to engulf entire halves of the globe - or the whole word itself. Cannons, muskets and swords could not cause noxious clouds of gas to pass over entire civilian populations, and neighboring countries or cultures would only sparingly jump in to assist their neighbors. The Industrial Age, starting in Europe in the 1800's, and the development of significantly entangling networks of treaties of protection, wherein major powers promised to support one another in the event of attack, made the prospect of continent-wide, or even worldwide conflict, more of a possibility after the middle of the nineteenth century. When American President Theodore Roosevelt brokered a peace agreement that settled the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, he was honored the next year with the Nobel Peace Prize (Bailey and Kennedy, p. 628). The very fact that such a priz e existed showed the changing sensibilities of the world, namely that war anywhere in the world was a danger to the rest of the world. In the years In the years since Theodore Roosevelt, the world has undergone two wars that basically dragged in every major world power. The first of these conflicts introduced the world to biological warfare, in the form of the deadly mustard gas that would later be outlawed. The second of these finally ended with another military innovation: the nuclear bomb. It has been argued that a bomb of this nature is the only weapon that would have kept the Japanese population from fighting, civilian by civilian, exacting huge casualties from the Allied troops before surrendering. Even so, the arrival of the nuclear bomb signaled the end of the widespread war, because the final weapon was so awful in its power that it served as a deterrent. And so organizations like the United Nations sprang up in the second half of the twentieth century, with the goal of keeping regional conflicts from becoming continental, or even global ones. There have been situations where international, third-party at tempts at solving conflicts were successful, but there have been many more that only bogged the problem down and made it last longer. One of the most problematic regional conflicts of the twentieth century was the struggle over apartheid in South Africa. While the British had created the colonial Union of South Africa in 1910, the policy known as apartheid was not implemented until 1948. In the intervening years, the African natives had faced restrictions that were common to all indigenous peoples under colonial rule. When the Afrikaner leader D.F. Malan took power in 1948, his government passed some laws that mandated that blacks live in certain areas, have identification on them at all times, and denied several basic civil rights to blacks (Sanctions against South Africa). This change in law escaped international attention, in part because of the vast distance between South