Islam And The Common Cause Of Unity - 1453 Words

In the religion of Islam, Muslims believe in the common cause of unity. United under one creed that is the first pillar of Islam and the primary and absolute faith that one should devote to. It is the Shahada, which says, â€Å"I believe in no gods but Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger of Allah†, but even though this is the common creed among all Muslims around the world, many chose to divide themselves and separated themselves under a slightly different and innovated creed. Since the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Islam started to embed into the lives of the people of Arabia and as the number of people taking Shahada started to grow, they followed and trailed behind the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Soon After the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the 7th century the divide started to arise inside the Muslim communities in the land of Arabia when disagreements over the successor to the Prophet Muhammad arose. The Sunnis maintain to believe that there was going to be a formal selection of who the Prophet’s successor or Caliph was going to be because according to Quran that is the rightful way of selection that includes the consensus of the majority votes. But the admirers of Ali(RA), who was the son in law of the Prophet Muhammad, protested and believed that the Prophet(PBUH) had chosen His son-in-law to be His rightful successor. According to the Shia Muslims, they believe Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) designated Imam Ali(RA) as His successor by Allah’sShow MoreRelatedAfrican Civilizations And The Spread Of Islam1745 Words   |  7 PagesCornell Notes Topic/Objective: Chapter 8:African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam Name: Maddy Garza Class/Period: 4B Date: September 18, 2015 African Societies: Diversity and Similarities – Stateless Societies - Common Elements in African Societies The Arrival of Islam in North Africa The Christian Kingdoms: Nubia and Ethiopia Kingdom of the Grasslands Sudanic StatesRead MoreThe Death Of Osama Bin Laden Speech Summary1500 Words   |  6 Pagesthe embrace of their children; he then identifies the sense of community and unity created in the aftermath of the event. He said: â€Å"We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood.† The combination of these statements heighten the meaning of the speech; from a statement about the death of Osama bin Laden to the unity of Americans after bin Laden’s actions. President Obama cultivates his motif of unity by using the repeated continuation of â€Å"we.† He conveys this message of friendshipRead MoreThe Fourth Noble Truths By The Eightfold Path1093 Words   |  5 PagesThe fourth Noble Truths compose the ideologies of the â€Å"Eightfold Path†. It’s an idea Buddhist belief of how they can stop the desire that causes suffering. Following the (Eight Path) factors in Buddhism there are fundamental responsibility and accountability that are expected by Buddhist beliefs. Buddhism teaches the concepts of understanding, thoughtful mind, and freedom of speech, action livelihood, encouraging effort, mindfulness and concentration. These categories are divided into sub-sectionsRead MoreComparison And Contrast Of World Religions1194 Words   |  5 Pagestheir specifics, are surprisingly similar. The three most prevalent religions in the world are Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, in that order. All believe in a higher power th at presides over and created man. Islam originated in approximately 609 C.E., or Common Era, and Christianity originated around 33 C.E. which is supposedly when Jesus Christ was crucified. The main prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is supposedly of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Both religions consider Abraham the father of the peopleRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between Islam And Islam940 Words   |  4 Pagesand Islam Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are referred to as the three Abrahamic religions, this means that in addition to being monotheistic religions that worship the same God, these three religions feature Abraham in a foundational role (Gilman 15). Today’s government structures, traditions and laws of social behavior find their origin in the development of these three main beliefs. Although there has been the development of other religious movements throughout the years, Judaism, Islam andRead MoreFranks Explaination of the Main Characterstics in Obamas Inauguration Speech632 Words   |  3 Pagesaddress’s theme can be succinctly expressed as harnessing strength from America’s common history. Beyond simply an advocacy for unity, Obama has the intention to motivate a collective call-to-action in response to the detrimental 2008 Global Financial Crisis (Allen and Carletti, 2009), and to preserve social stability by mitigating prevailing distrust against Muslims due to September 11 attacks (Mcmorris, 2010). Calling for unity is in fact a springboard to motivate a collective call-to-action. Obama mentionsRead MoreChristianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, And Confucianism1472 Words   |  6 Pagesat least one universal idea, present in all of them? This is largely a personal interpretation, as â€Å"common ground† (universal ideas) has a large spectrum of meanings, ranging from â€Å"kind of similar if you look at it in the right fashion†, to â€Å"exactly alike†. In any case, there are many examples, and counterexamples of universal ideas between the â€Å"main† seven religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, which will be explored in the remainder of this essayRead MoreImagine theres No Heaven by Salman Rushdie Essays1716 Words   |  7 Pagesdeclares the primary impulse of creation as lust but then quickly adds love as another motivation. He delves deeper i n the mythologies when only a small number of people in particular regions believe in them. He chooses to ignore Christianity and Islam, the most practiced religions in the world both of which agree that God created the universe and God can be understood and identified by His creation. Rushdie portrays religion as something which imprisons its followers. According to him, all religiousRead MoreCompare And Contrast Martin Luther King And Religion1219 Words   |  5 Pagesrespond to a particular religious organization. King’s letter is written in response to a group of mostly Christian clergymen who published â€Å"A Call to Unity†, a statement made in the newspaper which criticized King and his methods of causing trouble. X’s speech was made just less than a month after he had announced his separation from the Nation of Islam; a Muslim organization that called for racial separatism. King’s response is geared towards Christian and Jewish men who viewed him as going againstRead MoreReligion1264 Words   |  6 PagesMisconceptions about Islam – A personal perspective Islam may be the most misunderstood religion in the United States. The impression that majority of non-Muslim Americans have is usually obtained through the media which typically represent Islamic countries or groups in the middle of a Holy War. These wars are usually waged by Islamic Fundamentalist who use terrorism and other violent acts to get their messages across giving Islam a negative reputation. Because of the lack of understanding

Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird - 1316 Words

In this novel, innocence is represented from all ages yet all still contribute to the mockingbird factor. Charles Baker â€Å"Dill† Harris doesn’t develop and mature throughout the story. In this way, he is seen as a mocking bird because he’s innocent by his childish actions. His childish actions flow throughout To Kill A Mockingbird and he never changes this lifestyle, because that’s all he knows how to do. An example of this is in the court scene when we wasn’t aware of what’s going on, â€Å"Dill leaned across me and asked Jem what Atticus was doing†(Lee 254). In this scene the children snuck into the courthouse to listen to Atticus defend Tom Robinson, and Dill is questioning what is happening in the court.This scene is an example of†¦show more content†¦The author included the quote as a way to show a new younger perspective. This perspective is not only not as experienced in life or not as experienced in the south. T he author used this in order for the reader to understand the feeling Dill received for inequality and his innocence for making situations better shines through. Dill continues his childish actions by wanting to be the first to do everything and every game. He insists to play games like these and come up with the ida to torment Boo Radley. â€Å"Dill said he ought to be first, he just got here† and already starts showing selfishness just like an impatient child at a candy store (Lee 49). In this scene Dill just made his way back from Mississippi and already wants to play again without delaying. This scene proves innocence by revealing to the readers that Dill doesnt really have any worries. All he wants to do is play around. To go off that, Dill was the one to create the youthful game of tormenting Boo Radley. The author used this example of Dill’s character in order for the reader to understand his mindset. Like a child, Dill does not fully think about what others w ant to do or what is best for them, but instead he quickly decides on an idea and just wants to play. Innocence is demonstrated from Dill by the way he just wants to play around like a child, question big ideas and also get sensitive and truly care about situations. One of the most stereotypedShow MoreRelatedWhy Is Innocence Becomes Experience?1225 Words   |  5 PagesIn To Kill A Mockingbird there are several reason why innocence becomes experience. Phys.com stated â€Å"Between ages 5 and 11, the researchers found, children become aware that many people believe stereotypes, including stereotypes about academic ability. When children become aware of these types of bias about their own racial or ethnic group, it can affect how they respond to everyday situations.† This shows that Scout and Jem are in a time of their lives when racism will take effect. Not only becauseRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird Motiff Essay779 Words   |  4 PagesAll humans are born innocent. Innocence is a time when a person has never done something, it is the first step of a human beings existence. The second step is experience. This step happens after a person has done something he or she has never done before or learns something he or she has never know before. The motif of innocence and experience occurs many times in Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†. The process of this growth is especially obvious in Jem and Scout’s journey through out the bookRead More Examine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird870 Words   |  4 PagesExamine the Themes of Innocence and Experience in To Kill a Mockingbird Innocence is a time when a person has never done something; it is the first step of the journey from innocence to experience. The second step in this movement is experience and this is what is achieved after a person has done something they have never done before or learns something they have never known before. This theme of growth from innocence to experience occurs many times in To Kill a Mockingbird and is one of theRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Theory Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pages A Mockingbird is a grayish songbird found in tropical America. The book to Kill A Mockingbird says that it is a sin to kill a Mockingbird. (Lee 103) In the story To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout is a young girl who has a pretty good life in Maycomb Alabama. But her curiosity began when Dill came to Maycomb for the summer and she started becoming more interested in Boo Radley and why he always stays in his house. But then the story takes an unexpected turn when Atticus takes the Tom RobinsonRead MoreMaturity And Personal Growth Often Appear Through The Experience1628 Words   |  7 Pagestragedies, and most importantly, the loss of childhood innocence. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird presents the ideas of coming of age and the loss of innocence while the Great Depression was occurring in the 1930s. Racism and gender inequality were widespread issues during this time period which gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches its readers that the coexistence of tragedy and the loss of innocence affect personal growth through the way in which severalRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird Metaphor Analysis: It is a Sin to Kill Tom Robinson1531 Words   |  7 PagesSin to Kill Tom RobinsonMockingbirds dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They dont eat up peoples gardens, dont nest in corncribs, they dont do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. Thats why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. (90) This quote is stated by Miss Maudie, underscoring the point of view of Atticus, who is a lawyer given an uphill job of substantiating a black mans innocence who is accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewells. To Kill a Mockingbird is an inspirationalRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Analysis Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird is a mix between unjust, and just ways of life in an old town in Alabama called Maycomb th at takes a twist into a court case that creates a racist and deadly argument. Harper Lee, a book writer with lots of thought and creativity produces a now, award winning book that she considers to be a simple love story that has transformed into a masterpiece. (Cover copy) To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the town of Maycomb with a small population full of big personalities. â€Å"KillingRead MoreThe Figurative Meaning Of A Mockingbird By Harper Lee1473 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is innocence? Some might say innocence is being credulous or possessing a lack of corruption. In a way, mockingbirds are a representation of this magnificent innocence and purity. These harmonious birds live day by day, singing their hearts out, and doing no harm to anyone or anything. The Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores the figurative meaning of a mockingbird. The narrator, Jean Louise Scout Finch, is a bright, young, and innocent girl from the smallRead MoreT o Kill a Mockingbird977 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary Analysis for To Kill a Mockingbird â€Å"There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s word, the white always wins. They’re ugly, but these are the facts of life.† ************ Along with the main theme of the story, racism, there are multiple other themes that are represented in the story. These include: the coexistence of good and evil, and importance of mortal educationRead MoreAnalysis Of Harper Lee s Kill A Mockingbird 1491 Words   |  6 PagesHarper Lee’s ​ To Kill a Mockingbird ​ is a critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize winning novel that instantly attained its position as one of the greatest literary classics (Editors).The story of Scout Finch’s childhood has become one of the most notable narratives that addresses controversial issues present in the early 20th century. Lee’s novel depicts themes of race, justice, and innocence throughout the novel. Although ​ To Kill a Mockingbird​ is regarded as a literary masterpiece in American

ACAS Code And Models Free Sample Solution

Question: Discuss about the Employment Law and Relations for ACAS Code and Models? Answer: Introduction: In this part of the assignment, the ACAS Code and other models like the CIPD Guidelines have been critically analysed for the purpose of identifying good practices that deal with the management of disciplining matters in organizations. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the ACAS Code of Practice related with disciplinary and grievance procedures provides practical guidelines for the organizations that can be very helpful in dealing with these issues are the workplace. The case of John-Charles v NHS Business Services Authority (2015) deals with best practices that are related with disciplinary proceedings. The facts are unusual in themselves but they do establish that whatever has been told by an employer to the employee regarding disciplinary sanctions, it becomes the responsibility of the employer to make sure that the employer acts according to it. If any person or organization fails to follow the procedure provided by the Code, the fact may be considered by an employment tribunal while dealing with the relevant cases, even in the person or organization may not be liable to proceedings. In this regard, there are certain key components that can be used for dealing with these issues. For example, it has been provided that the organizations should recognize that there are a large number of disciplinary and deviance issues that can be resolved by them informally (Beardwell and Holden, 1994). It is also worth mentioning that legally the Employment Tribunals are under an obligation to take into account, the ACAS Code of Practice when there are considering relevant cases. In this way, there are a number of potential disciplinary/grievance matters that can be resolved by the organizations informally. For example, the case is related with unsatisfactory performance or minor misconduct can generally be resolved in the best way, informally (Blyton and Turnbull, 1992). In such cases, often a quite word is enough for the purpose of improving the conduct of the performance of such an employee. The ACAS Code of practice also prescribes the basic requirements related with fairness during disciplinary proceedings and these requirements are applicable in most of the cases. These requirements also provide the standard of reasonable behavior that can be applied in most of the cases. Under the circumstances, it is clear that the ACAS Code will help the employers as well as employees and their representatives while dealing with disciplinary matters at the workplace. On the other hand, in cases where some kind of action has to be taken, the action that can be considered as reasonable a justifiable under the circumstances depends on the individual circumstances of each case (Blyton and Turnbull, 1998). In this regard, the employers are required to deal with these issues fairly, consistently and promptly. At the same time, it is also the obligation of the employers to carry out investigations for the purpose of collecting and establishing all the facts related with a particular case. There can be certain challenges associated with the disciplinary and diligence procedures that have been adopted by the employers. In this context, disciplinary and grievance procedures can be described as the frameworks providing a clear structure to deal with the problems that may arise in a workplace relationship, either from the perspective of the employer or employee (Stone, 1995). It is also required that this procedures should ensure that all employees are treated in the same way by the employers under similar circumstances. Similarly, the employers are also required to deal with these matters in a fair and reasonable way. The above-mentioned procedures also aim to make sure that the employers follow the present laws and in the same way, they also follow the ACAS Code of Practice. In this context, most of the employers generally have their own procedures that comply with the Code. In this context, it is required that the disciplinary procedure allows employees to be aware of what is expected from them in context of the standard of performance or conduct. Similarly, the procedure should also be capable of identifying the obstacles that are present for individuals to achieve these standards and at the same time, they should also allow employers to take the required action (Gennard and Judge, 2002). Another requirement is that the procedure should allow the employers and employees to agree on appropriate tools and timescale for achieving improvements in the performance of conduct of an individual. The procedure should also help in resolving these matters without recourse to external processes of resolving disputes or going to an employment tribunal (Thomas, 1999). It is also very important that these procedures are capable of establishing before an employment tribunal that the employer organization had followed the appropriate procedure in a particular case if a complaint has been made by an employee regarding the way such an employee had been dismissed. In Gurnett v ASOS.com Ltd (2010) the issue was related without providing a warning to employ regarding the possible consequences of disciplinary action. In this case, the court clearly stated that the employer is required to inform the employee from the very beginning itself regarding the possible results of a disciplinary action. For the purpose of providing a fair chance to the employees to defend the allegations in a proper way, it should not come as a surprise later on that in the proceedings, dismissal is also a possibility. In the same way, in O'Farrill v New Manage Ltd t/a Hooks Gym London Shootfighters (2011), it was stated that the employer is required to explain the alleged misconduct in clear terms to the employee, throughout the disciplinary process. In the same way, it is also required that the employer should be consistent in his accusations against the employee (Gennard and Judge, 2002). Therefore, if any new allegations have been discovered by the employer during this stage of the investigation, they can be included in the disciplinary process but it is very important that disciplinary sanctions should be imposed against the employee only regarding the allegations that have been properly investigated and were also brought to the notice of the employee as being a part of the proceedings. Another example where the Employment Tribunal came to the conclusion that the employer had not followed good practices was that of Campbell v Mitie Managed Services Ltd. (2009) In this case, the employer denied the employee to be accompanied during the disciplinary hearing. Therefore, although this is a statutory right, still the employers have been reminded by the ACAS Code regarding the requirement that they should allow the employees to be accompanied during disciplinary hearing. This right of the employees to be accompanied during such hearings arises when an employee has been invited by the employer to attend a disciplinary or previous hearing and such employee had made a reasonable request that he or she should be allowed to be accompanied during the hearing. In this part of the assignment, with the help of ACAS Code and other models like the CIPD guidelines, the good practices adopted by King's College Hospital have been analysed. For this purpose, it has been analyzed how the King's College Hospital manages its disciplinary processes with the help of policies and procedures and the practices that have been adopted by the hospital and this regard. The procedure that has been adopted by King's College Hospital in this regard is that first of all, an investigation is carried out by the organization. In this regard, King's College Hospital provides that as a part of the investigation, generally it is required that the investigating manager should personally meet the employee for the purpose of obtaining their version of events. When a detailed investigation regarding the circumstances of the case is required before the disciplinary meeting, a manager may delegate responsibility to an appropriate person. On the other hand, in such a case, af ter investigating the matter himself, the manager may arrange that the case will be heard by some other manager of the organization. The investigations that are conducted by the Police and the Counter Fraud Team are separate from and in addition to the investigations that are taking place in the organization. The Trust can only delay the proceedings as a result of other investigations, only in case it is absolutely necessary. Informal warning: the practices and procedures adopted by King's College Hospital provide that in case where a minor misconduct has been established as part of an employee, such an employee will be invited for a meeting with the manager for the purpose of discussing unsatisfactory conduct. During such a meeting, the manager is required to hear the reasons or mitigation that has been put forward by the employee. At the same time, during such a meeting, the manager will also give advice to the employee regarding the standards of conduct that are required and also the timescale for it. The details of such an informal discussion are also required to be confirmed to the employee in writing and at the same time, there response to it should also be registered. The copy of such correspondence has to be retained by the manager. Formal Procedure Related with Disciplinary Meetings: During all the formal stages of disciplinary procedure, after the matter has been properly investigated and it is established that the case is present against the employee, with minimal delay, a disciplinary meeting has to be arranged. It has been provided by the procedure adopted by King's College Hospital that a reasonable notice needs to be given regarding arrangements for meeting, which includes the persons who will be present during the hearing. The manager is required to give two copies of the return details of the allegations to the employee and also any witness statements or other documents supporting the allegations. It is also required that the employee should take all reasonable steps for the purpose of attending the meeting. It has also been provided that it is the right of the employee to be accompanied by a colleague, a friend or an accredited trade union representative. The relevant procedure in this regard is that the manager, who hears the allegations, may be accompanied by professional advisor, in case it is considered necessary. Under the hand, in case the employee had made counter allegations of harassment and bullying during the investigations, such allegations have to be heard by the manager and also by an independent assessor. Similarly, a Human Resource advisor may also be present during the meetings if a formal or a final warning can be the probable outcome of the meeting. During the meeting, the manager is required to mention the nature of allegations and also briefly outline the case to the employee with the help of evidence available in support of the allegations. At the same time, the procedure also requires that full opportunity should be given to employ to respond to these allegations during the meeting. While the employee is required to directly respond to the questions, the representative of the employee has been given the right to outline the case of the employee and also to our questions on behalf of the employee. The procedure provides that while considering the case, the manager is required to consider the previous record of the employee and also the other factors that may be relevant in this regard. Recommendations: In this light, it appears that the practices and policies adopted by King's College Hospital work for eliminating any potential tension with other HR policies and practices like that diversity management or equal opportunities. In this regard, a responsibility has been imposed on the managers to ensure that the disciplinary procedure is applied by them fairly and also in tune with the policy related with equality and diversity in employment that has been adopted by the organization. At the same time, the Human Resources Department of the organization monitors the application of formal procedure by age, disability, gender and ethnicity. The policy has proved to be effective in context of its relevance for the purpose of promoting race equality and in the same way, when it comes to disability and gender equality, the policy has proved to be medium impact. At the same time, the facts of John-Charles v NHS Business Services Authority (2015) are unusual in themselves but they do establish that whatever has been told by an employer to the employee regarding disciplinary sanctions, it becomes the responsibility of the employer to make sure that the employer acts according to it. Conclusion: In the present report, the need for having fair and reasonable disciplinary processes have been examined.at the same time, the recent cases in which the courts have dealt with the good practices related with grievance proceedings have also been discussed.in the next part of the report, the management of grievance proceedings by King's College Hospital have been examined. References Beardwell, I. Holden, L. (1994), Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Perspective, Pitman, London Blyton , P. Turnbull, P. (1998), The Dynamics of Employee Relations, Macmillan, London Blyton, P. Turnbull, P. (1992), HRM: Debates, Dilemmas and Contradictions, in P. Blyton P. Turnbull (eds), Reassessing Human Resource Management, Sage, London Gennard, J. Judge, G. (2002), Employee Relations (third edition), Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Wimbledon Legge, K. (1995), Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities, Macmillan Business, London Stone, R. (1995), Human Resource Management,(second edition)., Wiley Son, Milton Thomas, K. (ed.), 1999, The Oxford Book of Work, Oxford University Press, Oxford .Cases Campbell v Mitie Managed Services Ltd ET/2406958/09 Gurnett v ASOS.com Ltd [2010] ET/3304149/2009 John-Charles v NHS Business Services Authority UKEAT/0105/15/BA O'Farrill v New Manage Ltd t/a Hooks Gym London Shootfighters [2011] ET/3304495/2010

Organic Agriculture in the United Arab Emirates

Introduction This paper will provide a detailed business plan for establishing an agribusiness company. The company will focus on production of organic foodstuffs in the United Arab Emirates. The business plan will shed light on the business idea, the value proposition, and the technology that will be required to operate the business.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organic Agriculture in the United Arab Emirates specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A detailed marketing plan that highlights the target customers and the marketing mix will also be discussed. In addition, the business plan will highlight the governance and management structure, as well as, the company’s financial projections. The Business Idea The business idea is to establish an agribusiness company that focuses on organic agriculture. Organic agriculture refers to â€Å"a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems , and people†.1 It focuses on the use of farming techniques that promote sustainability by minimizing negative environmental effects. The company will focus on producing organic vegetables and fruits in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The vegetables that will be produced include tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and capsicum. The fruits will include mangoes, oranges, and strawberries. The choice of Abu Dhabi is based on the fact that it has the largest population in the UAE. Thus, it is likely to have a high demand for organic foodstuffs. In addition, leasing land for farming in Abu Dhabi is cheaper than in other emirates. Value Proposition Production of organic fruits and vegetables is important due to the following reasons. First, organic fruits and vegetables will improve the health status of the residents of Abu Dhabi and the entire UAE. Lifestyle related diseases such as obesity and cancer are major health problems in the UAE. In 2013, the rate of obesity in Abu Dhabi was 33%, whereas 13% of the deaths were caused by cancer.2 The high prevalence of obesity and cancer is partly attributed to consumption of processed and inorganic foodstuffs.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, the residents of the UAE are likely to consume organic fruits and vegetables because they have high nutritional value and insignificant pesticide residue. Moreover, organic vegetables such as tomatoes have high antioxidant capacities, which help in preventing cancer, coronary diseases, and rapid aging. Second, â€Å"organic fruits and vegetables taste better than their inorganic counterparts†.3 Third, producing organic fruits and vegetables in Abu Dhabi will reduce the UAE’s reliance on imported foodstuffs. Imported fruits and vegetables often have negative health effects since the government has little control over their production. Furthermore, they are often expo sed to contamination during transportation. Fourth, establishing an organic farm in Abu Dhabi will reduce the price of fruits and vegetables. The prices will reduce due to the short distance to the target market, which will minimize operating costs. Finally, production of organic fruits and vegetables will promote sustainable agriculture in the UAE. The company will avoid using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that often reduce soil quality. Technical Model Technology The farm will use greenhouse and drip irrigation technologies to produce various organic fruits and vegetables. A greenhouse is a â€Å"structure in which plants are grown under controlled micro-environment†.4 The structure is made of transparent plastic materials, which facilitate controlled penetration of sunlight and reduce evaporation of water. Drip irrigation is a technique of supplying water evenly to all plants in a garden. The use of greenhouse and drip irrigation technologies will help in conserving water, which is very scarce in Abu Dhabi. They will also lead to high returns on investments by facilitating production throughout the year.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organic Agriculture in the United Arab Emirates specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Farming Practices The vegetables will be produced using organic fertilizers such as compost to prevent accumulation of synthetic chemicals in them. The farm will use pesticides that are manufactured using organic materials to control pests and other disease-causing pathogens.5 This will help in reducing pesticide residues in the fruits and vegetables. Weeds will be controlled using environmentally-generated plant-killing compounds. In addition, the company will focus on producing different crops on the same piece of land to prevent soil degradation. These techniques will preserve soil quality and minimize accumulation of toxic chemicals in the vegetable s. Feasibility Study There is adequate farmland in the rural areas of Abu Dhabi since most of the citizens live in the city. In addition, there are adequate roads that connect the farmlands to the markets in urban areas. Scientific research indicates that the land in Abu Dhabi is very fertile mainly because it has hardly been used for farming. Soil test results show that the soil has the right minerals and nutrients for growing various fruits and vegetables. Water with the right pH can be obtained from the reservoirs of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City. However, it is more expensive than water from boreholes due to the pumping and recycling costs. Budget The costs associated with acquiring the technology and equipment that will be used in the farm are summarized in table 1. The costs are for the first year of operations.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Table 1 Item Quantity Cost per unit (AED) Total (AED) Land 5 acres 50,000 per year 250,000 Greenhouses 200m x 40m 2 10,758 21,516 250m x 50m 3 13,500 40,500 150m x 60m 2 8,250 16,500 Pesticides 25 liters 230 5,750 Seeds and seedlings Tomatoes 30 kg 150 4,500 Onions 20 kg 124 2,480 Cucumbers 25 kg 85 2,125 Capsicum 25 kg 86 2,150 Oranges 15 kg 156 2,340 Strawberries 10 kg 256 2,560 Mangoes 15 kg 180 2,700 Fertilizer 4,000 kg 5 20,000 Farm equipment 16,000 Consultancy fee 12,000 Labor 50,000 Irrigation 65,000 Distribution 30,650 Marketing 25,000 Total 571,771 Business Model The company will adopt a vertical integration business model.6 The core business activity of the company will be production of various organic fruits and vegetables. The company will be in charge of all farming activities to maintain high product quality standards. However, it will collaborate with established retailers (supermarkets) to distribute the org anic fruits and vegetables. This will involve negotiating for floor space within the supermarkets to sell the products. The company will retain and use its brand name rather than those of the retailers. The retailers will invest in the business by providing shelf and refrigeration facilities. In addition, they will employ the staff who will be in charge of sales within the stores. The company, on the other hand, will be responsible for warehousing and transporting the organic fruits and vegetables from the farm to the stores. The retailers will be entitled to 10% of the gross annual sales as their compensation. The benefit of this business model is that it will enable the company to focus on its core competence, which is production of organic fruits and vegetables. This will enable it to channel its scarce resources towards satisfaction of market needs through process and product innovation. Furthermore, partnering with established retailers will enable the company to get instant ac cess to a huge customer base at a low cost. Target Customers The company will use geographic and psychographic segmentation to identify its customers. Geographic segmentation involves identifying customers by dividing the market into various geographical areas.7 The company will focus on serving the UAE market. Specifically, it will focus on serving the urban populations that live in cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This segmentation strategy is informed by the fact that most of the retailers who will be distributing the products are based in urban rather than rural areas. In the urban market, the company will target the working class due to two reasons. First, the working class is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, which increases the risk of acquiring lifestyle-oriented diseases such as obesity. As a result, they are likely to purchase organic fruits and vegetables to prevent lifestyle-oriented diseases. Second, the working class has a high disposable income that will facil itate expenditure on organic fruits and vegetables. Psychographic segmentation involves identifying the target market by taking into account customers’ lifestyles, education, and socio-economic status.8 In this case, the company will target customers who are aware of the health benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables. The company will also target customers who are interested in leading a healthy lifestyle. These include people who are already suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer and those who would like to avoid lifestyle-oriented diseases. Customers who are interested in adopting healthy lifestyles are likely to purchase locally produced vegetables and fruits because they are fresher than imported ones. In addition, the company will target the affluent who are interested in consuming high quality organic fruits and vegetables to improve their health and to maintain their high social status in the society. Marketing Plan Market Description The market for fr uits and vegetables in the UAE consists of several products. The market is dominated by inorganic fruits and vegetables. These include imported fruits and vegetables that are produced using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. There are also genetically modified fruits and vegetables in the market. The inorganic and the genetically modified fruits and vegetables are cheaper than their organic counterparts. Most consumers are not able to differentiate between organic and genetically modified fruits and vegetables.9 However, the popularity of organic fruits and vegetables is increasing in urban areas due to health campaigns that promote eating of healthy foodstuffs. Product Review The fruits and vegetables that will be sold by the company have two main features. First, their pesticide residue levels will be less than 0.05%. Second, chemicals will not be used to preserve the fruits and vegetables. They will be made available in the stores within 6 hours after harvesting to maintain th e highest level of freshness. SWOT Analysis of the Products The main strength of organic fruits and vegetables is that they have a superior quality in terms of taste and nutritional value. Moreover, production of organic fruits and vegetables is a form of corporate social responsibility that promotes conservation of the environment and improvement of public health. The main weakness of organic fruits and vegetables is that they are very expensive due to the high cost of producing them. Moreover, they have a shorter shelf life than inorganic and genetically modified fruits and vegetables. The main opportunity that is available to organic fruits and vegetables is that their market is growing rapidly in the UAE due to their health benefits. Moreover, increased regulation of production of genetically modified fruits and vegetables will increase the demand for organic foodstuffs. The threats facing the products include limited shelf space and high competition. The dominant retailers have their own groceries that stock inorganic foodstuffs rather organic fruits and vegetables. Moreover, the low-income earners opt for inorganic foodstuffs, which have low prices. Objectives and Issues In the first year, the first objective will be to gain a market share of 6%. The second objective will be to achieve AED 800,000 in sales. In the second year, the first objective will be to increase market share by 8%. The second objective will be to increase brand awareness by 10%. The last objective will be to increase sales by 16%. At the launch of the company and its products, the main issue will be to create brand awareness in order to attract customers. The company will utilize its promotional activities to create brand awareness. Another major issue will be to negotiate distribution agreements with retailers who have nationwide branch networks. Marketing Strategy: Marketing Mix The fruits and vegetables will be positioned based on the ‘healthy living’ value propositio n. This will facilitate differentiation based on nutritional value and health benefits. Marketing initiatives will focus on highlighting the health benefits of organic fruits and vegetables to reinforce the premium positioning strategy.10 The product strategy will focus on using organic inputs to produce the fruits and vegetables. This will ensure that the products have high quality and nutritional value. Additionally, the products will be sold as fresh produce to preserve their natural taste and appeal. In the first year of market entry, the company will adopt the penetration pricing strategy to gain market share. This will involve selling the products at a low price in order to attract customers. The resulting increase in sales will increase the market share and profits in the long-term. Distribution will be done by retailers who have nationwide branch networks. The company intends to collaborate with at least two major supermarkets that are interested in operating their groceries in collaboration with an organic foods producer. Marketing communications initiatives will focus on using print and electronic media to advertise the products. Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ will be used to create buzz among customers about the brand. The main objective of the advertising campaigns will be to create brand awareness. Public relations will be used to create brand credibility by influencing the public to develop a positive attitude towards organic fruits and vegetables. Breakeven Analysis The objective of the business is to breakeven in the fourth quarter of the first year. Assuming a fixed cost of AED 459,205 in the first year, an average variable cost of AED 0.05/ kg, average retail revenue of AED15/ kg, and equal production volume for each product category, breakeven can be calculated as: This means that the company must sell at least 30,716.05 kilograms of its products in order to breakeven. Governance and Management Structure The company will operate as a privat e corporation that will be registered in Abu Dhabi. It will have a hierarchical organizational structure with a few management levels.11 The board will consist of three directors who will be in charge of developing the company’s strategy and supervising the management. The day-to-day activities of the company will be run by the CEO. The CEO will report to the board of directors. The executive management will consist of the CEO, operations manager, marketing manager, farm manager, and finance manager. The managers will report to the CEO. The management will be responsible for implementing the company’s strategies and supervising the employees. Competition and Survival Strategy Main Competitors There are numerous small-scale producers of organic vegetables and fruits in the UAE. The small-scale producers normally sell directly to customers in their local communities. Al Dahra and Greenheart UAE are the main producers of organic fruits and vegetables in the industry. Al D ahra has over two decades of experience in the industry and a nationwide distribution network. This makes it the main player in the industry. Apart from local producers, the top 4 largest retailers in the UAE import and distribute a wide range of organic fruits and vegetables. The retailers include Carrefour, Lulu, Choithram Sons, and Spinneys-Dubai. These firms have huge financial resources to expand their capacities. Moreover, they control the distribution channel. Overall, the most significant competitive threat comes from the retailers and Al Dahra. Managing Growth and Innovation The company will focus on organic expansion and joint ventures to increase its capacity. After establishing a strong brand image in the market, the company will focus on improving its brand visibility. This will involve opening its retail outlets in Abu Dhabi in the third year of market entry to reduce dependence on retailers’ distribution channels. In the next five years, the company will establ ish three outlets in Abu Dhabi and two in Dubai. It will also sign distribution agreements with at least two more retailers. Moreover, it will extend its product line by introducing more fruits and vegetables. The company will embark on research and development in partnership with local universities to achieve product and process innovation. The research will focus on developing effective and efficient organic farming techniques to improve the quality of the products and to reduce production costs. In the next ten years, the company will focus on value addition by producing fresh fruit juice to increase its revenue. Financial Model Projected Profit and Loss Account for the First Three Years 1styear (AED) 2ndyear (AED) 3rdyear (AED) Total revenue 800,000 928,000 1,076,480 Less Cost of sales 159,605 185,142 214,765 Gross profit 640,395 742,858 861,715 Expenses Accounting and legal fees 8,500 8,500 9,000 Consultancy fees 12,000 12,500 13,000 Marketing 25,000 32,000 40,000 Electricity 8,500 9,000 10,000 Insurance 13,600 13,600 14,000 Salaries and wages 50,000 52,500 55,000 Administrative expenses 35,000 36,000 38,000 Farm expenses 60,605 72,000 90,000 Distribution 10,650 13,200 15,000 Establishment 328,516 250,000 250,000 Miscellaneous 5,000 3,000 2,000 Depreciation 1,000 2,000 3,000 Less Total expenses 558,371 504,300 533,000 Profit before tax 82,024 238,558 322,715 The company expects to make a profit of AED 82,024 in the first year. In the second and the third year, the company expects a profit of AED 238,558 and AED 322,715 respectively. Balance Sheet Beginning as at Sep. 01 2014 (AED) Projected as at Sep. 01 2015 (AED) Projected as at Sep. 01 2016 (AED) Assets Current assets Cash in bank 700,000 93,000 89,900 Accounts receivable 0 300,000 400,000 Inventory 0 150,000 176,500 Prepaid expenses 10,000 45,000 100,000 Other assets 0 26,000 75,000 Total current assets 710,000 61 4,000 841,400 Fixed assets Plant and equipment 94,000 150,000 258,000 Furniture and fixture 10,000 35,000 85,600 Land and buildings 250,000 250,000 615,000 Other assets 0 21,000 25,000 Total fixed assets 354,000 456,000 983,600 Other assets Intangibles 0 5,000 120,000 Goodwill 0 5,000 150,000 Total other assets 0 10,000 170,000 Total assets 1,064,000 1,330,000 1,995,000 Liabilities and equity Current liabilities Accounts payable 0 175,000 237,000 Interest payable 0 20,000 18,000 Taxes payable 0 2,500 2,550 Short-term debts 0 56,000 150,000 Other liabilities 0 0 45,000 Total current liabilities 0 253,000 452,550 Long-term liability Bank loans (payable) 250,000 200,000 150,000 Other long-term debts 0 0 120,000 Total long-term liability 250,000 200,000 270,000 Owners’ equity Invested capital 814,000 816,500 1,072,450 Retained earnings 0 60,000 200,000 Total owners’ equity 814,000 876,500 1,272,450 T otal liabilities and owners’ equity 1,064,000 1,330,000 1,995,000 The company will be worth AED 1,064,000 at its inception in 2014. Its value is expected to increase to AED 1,995,000 in the third year. Projected Cash Flow Statement Sep. 01 2014 Aug. 31 2015 Aug. 31 2016 Cash in hand at the beginning of the year 700,000 700,000 225,653 Cash receipts Cash from sales 0 83,024 240,558 Accounts receivable 0 0 300,000 Total cash receipts 0 83,024 240,558 Total cash available 700,000 783,024 766,211 Cash paid out Accounting and legal fees 0 8,500 8,500 Consultancy fees 0 12,000 12,500 Marketing 0 25,000 32,000 Electricity 0 8,500 9,000 Insurance 0 13,600 13,600 Salaries and wages 0 50,000 52,500 Administrative expenses 0 35,000 36,000 Farm expenses 0 60,605 72,000 Distribution 0 10,650 13,200 Establishment 0 328,516 250,000 Miscellaneous 0 5,000 3,000 Total cash paid out 0 557,371 502,300 Cash in hand (end year) 700,000 225,653 26 3,911 The cash flow statement summarizes the expected cash flow for two years. It highlights the cash that will be received and how it will be utilized. Deployment Plan and Timeline The company will launch its operations in September 2014. In the first three months, the company will focus on establishing the farm by acquiring and installing the required equipment, as well as, preparing the land for farming. In the next 8 months, it will focus on growing the fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the marketing team will embark on negotiating distribution contracts with select retailers. After signing the distribution contracts, the retailers will be expected to establish the shelves and refrigerators that will be used to sell the products. The marketing team will train the retailers’ employees who will be in charge of sales. The training will focus on product features and the marketing programs that will be adopted. Distribution and marketing communications campaign will begi n in the 13th month. The key milestones to be achieved and the timeline are summarized in Gantt chart 1. Gantt chart 1 Bibliography Al-Qassemi Rasha and Ibrahim Mohammed. â€Å"The Sharjah Food Safety Program: Implementing Innovative Best Practice to Improve Public Health.† Worldwide Hospital and Tourism Themes 3, no. 5 (2011): 432-442. Czinkota Michael and Ian Ronkainen. International Marketing. London: Oxford University Press, 2012. Doole, Isaac and Raymond Lowe. International Marketing Strategy. London: Palgrave, 2008. Freeman Eric. Strategic Management. London: Palgrave, 2010. Gemma Harper and Makatouni Aikaterini. â€Å"Consumer Perception of Organic Food Production and Farm Animal Welfare.† British Food Journal 104, no. 3 (2010): 287-299. Ireland John and Soha Rajabzadeh. â€Å"UAE Consumer Concerns about Halal Products.† Journal of Islamic Marketing 2, no. 3 (2011): 274-283. Justorines Paul and Richard Jyoti. â€Å"Consumer Behavior and Purchase Intenti on for Organic Food.† Journal of Consumer Marketing 29, no. 6 (2012): 412-422. Sadler Philip. Strategic Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2003. Swan Cynthia. Organic Farming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Terpstra Victor and Richard Sarathy. International Marketing. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2012. Footnotes Harper, Gemma and Makatouni, Aikaterini, â€Å"Consumption Perception of Organic Food Production and Farm Animal Welfare,† British Food Journal 104, no. 2 (2010): 290. John Ireland and Soha Rajabzadeh, â€Å"UAE Consumer Concerns about Halal Products,† Journal of Islamic Marketing 2, no. 3 (2013): 277. Rasha Al-Qassemi and Ibrahim Mohammed, â€Å"The Sharjah Food Safety Program: Implementing Innovative Best Practice to Improve Public Health,† Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism 3, no. 5 (2011): 433. Cynthia Swan, Organic Farming (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010), 73. Swan, 89. Philip Sadler, Strategic Management (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003), 79. Victor Terpstra and Richard Sarathy, International Marketing (London: Palgrave, 2012), 119. Michael Czinkota and Ian Ronkainen, International Marketing (London: Oxford University Press, 2012), 113. Paul Justorines and Richard Jyoti, â€Å"Consumer Behavior and Purchase Intensions for Organic Food,† Journal of Consumer Marketing 29, no. 6 (2012): 415. Isaac Doole and Raymond Lowe, International Marketing Strategy (London: Sage, 2008), 90. Eric Freeman, Strategic Management (London: Sage, 2010), 156. This research paper on Organic Agriculture in the United Arab Emirates was written and submitted by user Al1a to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Conjugation of Pedir, Servir, and Vestir

Conjugation of Pedir, Servir, and Vestir Pedir (to request), servir (to serve), and vestir (to dress or wear) are among the common Spanish verbs in whose conjugation the -e- in the stem sometimes changes to -i-. Other verbs that follow the pattern of pedir as shown below  include competir (to compete), despedir (to send off, among other meanings), impedir (to impede or prevent), medir (to measure), and repetir (to repeat). Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life may vary with context. Infinitive of Pedir pedir (to request) Gerund of Pedir pidiendo (requesting) Participle of Pedir pedido (requested) Present Indicative of Pedir yo pido, tà º pides, usted/à ©l/ella pide, nosotros/as pedimos, vosotros/as pedà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas piden (I request, you request, he requests, etc.) Preterite of Pedir yo pedà ­, tà º pediste, usted/à ©l/ella pidià ³, nosotros/as pedimos, vosotros/as pedisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas pidieron (I requested, you requested, she requested, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Pedir yo pedà ­a, tà º pedà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella pedà ­a, nosotros/as pedà ­amos, vosotros/as pedà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedà ­an (I used to request, you used to request, he used to request, etc.) Future Indicative of Pedir yo pedirà ©, tà º pedirs, usted/à ©l/ella pedir, nosotros/as pediremos, vosotros/as pedirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedirn (I will request, you will request, he will request, etc.) Conditional of Pedir yo pedirà ­a, tà º pedirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella pedirà ­a, nosotros/as pedirà ­amos, vosotros/as pedirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas pedirà ­an (I would request, you would request, she would request, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Pedir que yo pida, que tà º pidas, que usted/à ©l/ella pida, que nosotros/as pidamos, que vosotros/as pidis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas pidan (that I request, that you request, that she request, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Pedir que yo pidiera (pidiese), que tà º pidieras (pidieses), que usted/à ©l/ella pidiera (pidiese), que nosotros/as pidià ©ramos (pidià ©semos), que vosotros/as pidierais (pidieseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas pidieran (that I requested, that you requested, that he requested, etc.) Imperative of Pedir pide (tà º), no pidas (tà º), pida (usted), pidamos (nosotros/as), pedid (vosotros/as), no pidis (vosotros/as), pidan (ustedes) (request, dont request, request, lets request, etc.) Compound Tenses of Pedir The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, pedido. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, pidiendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Pedir and Similarly Conjugated Verbs No podemos retener a extranjeros que no quieren pedir asilo. (We cant keep holding foreigners who dont wish to ask for asylum. Infinitive.) Hay muchas veces en las que ella y su madre se han vestido igual. (There are many times in which she and her mother have dressed alike. Present perfect.) La ley no impide venta de alcohol cerca de las escuelas. (The law doesnt prevent alcohol sales near schools.  Present indicative.) Estoy satisfecho con estos resultados porque los muchachos compitieron en contra de los mejores del paà ­s. (Im satisfied with these results because the boys competed against the countrys best. Preterite.) Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial hubo enormes aviones que servà ­an como bombarderos, volaban sobre el enemigo. (During World War II there were huge airplanes that served as bombers, flying over the enemy. Imperfect.)  ¿Se repetir la historia? (Will history repeat itself? Future.) No vas a creer lo que estn vistiendo. (You wont believe what theyre wearing. Gerund.) Rodrà ­guez insistià ³ en que su partido pedirà ­a a los catalanes que votaran sà ­ a quedarse en Espaà ±a. (Rodrà ­guez insisted that his party would ask Catalonians to vote yes to remaining in Spain. Conditional.) Es violatorio de la Constitucià ³n que impidan el derecho a las protestas. (It violates the Constitution for them to impede the right to protest. Present subjunctive.) Quisiera unos padres que no midieran el tiempo al estar conmigo. (I wanted parents who wouldnt ration their time being with me. Imperfect subjunctive.) No pidas perdà ³n. (Dont ask for forgiveness. Imperative.)

What Happens If the Presidential Election Is a Tie

What Happens If the Presidential Election Is a Tie In four instances, the Electoral College, not the popular vote, has determined the outcome of a presidential election. Although there has never been a tie, the U.S. Constitution outlines a process for resolving such a scenario. Heres what would happen and who the players involved are if the 538 electors sit down after the election and vote 269 to 269. The U.S. Constitution When the U.S. first gained its independence, Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution outlined the process for selecting electors and the process by which they would select a president. At the time, electors could vote for two different candidates for president; whoever lost that vote would become vice president. This led to serious controversies in the elections of 1796 and 1800. In response, U.S. Congress ratified the 12th Amendment in 1804. The amendment clarified the process by which electors should vote. More importantly, it described what to do in the event of an electoral tie. The amendment states that the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President† and â€Å"the Senate shall choose the Vice-President. The process is also used in the event that no candidate wins 270 or more Electoral College votes. The House of Representatives As directed by the 12th Amendment, the 435 members of the House of Representatives must make their first official duty the selection of the next president. Unlike the Electoral College system, where larger population equals more votes, each of the 50 states in the House gets exactly one vote when selecting the president. It is up to the delegation of representatives from each state to decide how their state will cast its one and only vote. Smaller states like Wyoming, Montana, and Vermont, with only one representative, wield as much power as California or New York. The District of Columbia does not get a vote in this process. The first candidate to win the votes of any 26 states is the new president. The 12th Amendment gives the House until the fourth day of March to select a president. The Senate At the same time that the House is selecting the new president, the Senate must select the new vice president. Each of the 100 senators gets one vote, with a simple majority of 51 senators required to select the vice president. Unlike the House, the 12th Amendment places no time limit on the Senates selection of a vice president. If There Is Still a Tie With 50 votes in the House and 100 votes in the Senate, there could still be tie votes for both president and vice president. Under the 12th Amendment, as amended by the 20th Amendment, if the House has failed to select a new president by Jan. 20, the vice president-elect serves as acting president until the deadlock is resolved. In other words, the House keeps voting until the tie is broken. This assumes that the Senate has selected a new vice president. If the Senate has failed to break a 50-50 tie for vice president, the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 specifies that the Speaker of the House will serve as acting president until tie votes in both the House and Senate have been broken. Past Election Controversies In the controversial 1800 presidential election, an Electoral College tie vote occurred between Thomas Jefferson and his running mate,  Aaron Burr. The tie-breaking vote made Jefferson president, with Burr declared vice president, as the Constitution required at the time. In 1824, none of the four candidates won the required majority vote in the Electoral College. The House elected  John Quincy Adams president despite the fact that Andrew Jackson had won the popular vote and the most electoral votes. In 1837, none of the vice presidential candidates won a majority in the Electoral College. The Senate vote made Richard Mentor Johnson vice president over Francis Granger. Since then, there have been some very close calls. In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel Tilden by a single electoral vote, 185 to 184. And in 2000, George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 271 to 266 electoral votes in an election that ended in the Supreme Court.

Writing Assignment # 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Writing Assignment # 2 - Essay Example There can be a perfect addition, removal, or change of vital generic elements by the use of modern biotechnology techniques (David &Thompson, 2008). Because genes are common to the life on earth, there is a possibility that the transfer of genes from one organism to another and even between non-related species occurs perfectly. From the above scientific principles, it is evident that this manipulation can produce a product with new characteristics that probably have advantages. Genetic engineering refers to the use of elements of modern biotechnology and molecular biology to come up with new characteristics or traits into an organism. Competent researchers can use these implements to introduce new generic elements, or remove or modify prevailing hereditary material to present the proposed, new characteristics o or traits. The traits that are induced into the plant or animals are always having wanted characteristics thus being economically beneficial and friendly (Sanderson, 2007). The major purpose of genetic engineering is to enable scientists or researchers to introduce a much wider concept of new traits into an organism (plant or animal) than it is possible by natural breeding. These traits are always the best that an individual may want an organism to possess thus boosting the level or rate of production. For instance, in agriculture it makes crops to have traits of being resistant to certain pests and diseases. In medicine, there might be the development of microbes that can produce pharmaceuticals for proper human or animal usage. Finally in foods, the concept of genetic engineering helps in the production of microorganisms that facilitates brewing, cheese making and baking. For the creation of genetically modified organism, three main components should be available. These are the gene that should be transferred, the organism to put it into or the target species, and the vector to carry the gene into the target species cells. The steps for

Article Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Critique - Research Paper Example Who are the subjects? The participants were divided into two sub-samples in accordance with their grades. Overall, 590 students (both males and females) of first, second and third grades (including 237 students with mild disabilities) were involved in the research. What procedures did the authors use? The participants completed social subscales of the CBSK and the Pictorial Scale depending on the grade to assess social self-perception. They completed rating scales to assess acceptance by classmates. The participants had to nominate up to five of their classmates as their friends. Observations were also used and students were observed during classes. What are the results of the study? Koster et al. (2010) report the following results: there is no significant difference between social participation among students with different disabilities. It was also found that the size of social participation of students without disabilities was significantly larger than that of students with disabilities. What are the final conclusions of the study? Koster et al. (2010) conclude that inclusion can be an inefficient approach but further research is required as it is not known whether students have the same social participation in special educational establishments. Was the article written for the general audience of the journal? In the first place, it is necessary to note that the article can be appropriate for a wide audience. Although there are some terms and significant number of data, educators, researchers as well as parents can benefit from reading the article. Did the work clearly answer the research questions? The article is relevant and well-grounded. It includes direct answers to the research questions as Koster et al. (2010) report that there is no difference in social participation among different categories of students and that there is significant

A View from a Bridge Essay Example for Free

A View from a Bridge Essay I feel sorry for Eddie Carbone to a certain extent in A View from the Bridge because what he does is to protect his niece Catherine but in some parts of the play he deserves it. I feel sorry for Eddie Carbone because what he does is to protect his niece. Eddie has taken care of Catherine and he tries to hide her away from the outside world, he doesn’t want her to grow up. At the start of the play Eddie’s character is portrayed as a kind but quite over protective of Catherine, you see Eddie as a caring father-figure to Catherine so you assume he loves her as his own daughter. You can tell by the way he talks to her and how interested he is when she speaks. At the point where Catherine tells Eddie that she has got a job he becomes very concerned because he thinks she can do better but she will also attract a lot of men’s attention where she will work. I feel sorry for Eddie at this point in the play because he finds it hard to admit that Catherine is growing up, I guess I just never figured that you would ever grow up. Later on in the play when the cousins arrive Catherine is taking too much interest in Rodolpho, you see that Eddie is getting jealous. However, I do not feel sorry for Eddie because what he does he deserves it. Eddie is very over protective of Catherine which means that he doesn’t like it when she attracts men especially after she has got a job near the docks. When the cousins arrive Catherine is interested in Rodolpho this annoys Eddie because he is trying to keep her away from.

Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird :: free essay writer

Symbolism in To Kill a Mockingbird  Ã‚   Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is an astounding portrayal of Southern tradition and human dignity, a novel whose themes and lessons transcend time and place. The book is narrated by a young girl named Scout who matures over the course of the story from an innocent child to a morally conscience young adult. The cover of the novel displays a knot-holed tree containing a pocket watch and a ball of yarn, accompanied by the silhouette of a mockingbird soaring over the trees through a twilight sky. The portrait on the cover is an emblem that signifies the nature of Scout's maturation and the underlying themes presented by Harper Lee. Lee's signified themes, ethically rich and profoundly humane, epitomize traditional Southern mentality. The story commences during the summer in Maycomb County, Alabama, in a children's world. Scout is a young girl around the age of ten and her older brother Jem is about thirteen. Their summer days consist of playing make believe, fictional games from dawn until dusk with their friend, Dill, from Montgomery, Alabama. In the child's world, the twilight sky represents the rising sun, the dawn of a new day, and the commencement of a full day of children's games and activities. The child's world that exists during the daytime is a world flourishing with innocence and simplicity. However, the daytime is the only time when the child's world exists, for when the sun falls, curfews draw Scout, Jem, and Dill back to their homes for the evening. When daylight fades and the moon begins to rise, the games subside and the make believe, fictional world ceases to exist until following morning. The twilight sky portrayed on the cover represents a rising sun, and thus, the inconsequential child's world . The knot-holed tree housing the pocket watch and the ball of yarn portrayed on the cover is another signifier for the child's world. The tree is on the edge of the Radley property and the pocket watch and ball of yarn within it were placed there by Boo Radley. Boo is an instrumental character to the make believe child's world because of the great ambiguity and elusiveness that he represents. Neither Scout, Jem nor Dill has ever seen Boo Radley; all they know about him are the stories they have heard from Miss Stephanie Crawford, their neighbor and potentially reliable source.

Henry Morton Stanley

Nathan C. Thompson EUH1001 Feb 28, 2012 Dr. W. Moody Henry Morton Stanley Born John Rowlands in Wales, or as those of his time knew him as Henry Morton Stanley; was the illegitimate son of John Rowlands and Elizabeth Parry. He grew up partly in the charge of reluctant relatives, partly in St. Asaph Workhouse. After his interlude of dependence on relatives, he sailed from Liverpool as a cabin boy, landing at New Orleans in 1859. There Rowlands was befriended by a merchant, Henry Hope Stanley, whose first and last names the boy adopted in an apparent effort to make a fresh start in life with a new identity; â€Å"Morton† was added later.For some years Stanley led a roving life; a soldier in the American Civil War, a seaman on merchant ships and in the U. S. Navy, a journalist in the early days of frontier expansion. In 1867 Stanley offered his services to James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald as a special correspondent with the British expeditionary force sent against Tewo dros II of Ethiopia, and Stanley was the first to report the fall of Magdala in 1868.An assignment to report the Spanish Civil War followed, and in 1869 he received instructions to undertake a roving commission in the Middle East, which was to include the relief of Dr. David Livingstone, of whom little had been heard since his departure for Africa in 1866 to search for the source of the Nile. On Jan. 6, 1871, Stanley reached Zanzibar, the starting point for expeditions to the interior, and, intent on a scoop, left on March 21 without disclosing his intentions.His secretive conduct caused much offense to the authorities, especially to Sir John Kirk, the British consul, who had been having difficulty in making contact with Livingstone. Leading a well-equipped caravan and backed by American money, Stanley forced his way through country disturbed by fighting and stricken by sickness to Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika, Livingstone's last known port of call. There he found the old hero, ill and short of supplies, and greeted him with the famous words â€Å"Dr. Livingstone, I presume? A cordial friendship sprang up between the two men, and when Stanley returned to the coast he dispatched fresh supplies to enable Livingstone to carry on. The older man's quest ended a year later with his death in the swamps of Lake Bangweulu still vainly seeking the Nile in a region that in fact gives rise to the Congo (Zaire) River. When Livingstone died in 1873, Stanley resolved to take up the exploration of Africa where he had left off. The problem of the Nile sources and the nature of the central African lakes had been only partly solved by earlier explorers.Stanley secured financial backing from the New York Herald and the Daily Telegraph of London for an expedition to pursue the quest, and the caravan left Zanzibar on Nov. 12, 1874, heading for Lake Victoria. His visit to King Mutesa I of Buganda led to the admission of Christian missionaries to the area in 1877 and to the eventual est ablishment of a British protectorate in Uganda. Circumnavigating Lake Victoria, Stanley confirmed the explorer John H. Speke's estimate of its size and importance.Skirmishes with suspicious tribes people on the lakeshore, which resulted in a number of casualties, gave rise in England to criticism of this new kind of traveler with his journalist's outlook and forceful methods. Lake Tanganyika was next explored and found to have no connection with the Nile system. Stanley and his men pressed on west to the Lualaba River (the very river that Livingstone had hoped was the Nile but that proved to be the headstream of the Congo).There they joined forces with the Arab trader Tippu Tib, who accompanied them for a few laps downriver, then left Stanley to fight his way first to Stanley Pool (now Malebo Pool) and then (partly overland) down to the great cataracts he named Livingstone Falls. Stanley and his men reached the sea on Aug. 12, 1877. Failing to enlist British interests in the develop ment of the Congo, Stanley took service with the king of Belgium, Leopold II, whose secret ambition it was to annex the region for himself.From August 1879 to June 1884 Stanley was in the Congo basin, where he built a road from the lower Congo up to Stanley Pool and launched steamers on the upper river. (It is from this period, when Stanley persevered in the face of great difficulties, that he earned, from his men, the nickname of Bula Matari [â€Å"Breaker of Rocks†]). Originally under international auspices, Stanley's work was to pave the way for the creation of the Congo Free State, under the sovereignty of King Leopold.Author Laura Benet does not disappoint us with this extensive study formerly know John Rowlands in Wales, Stanley's boyhood was harried by poverty, by relatives who treated him as a thorn in the side and by tough years in a workhouse- not the best of conditions for growing up. Amazingly unembittered by this, John went as a youth to New Orleans and had the g ood fortune to go to work for Henry Morton Stanley, a southern merchant who adopted him and whose name John later took. Still another set back, the Civil War, was not enough to dispirit the new Henry Stanley, who found himself in post war years a reporter for the New York Herald.First assignments sent him to Abyssinia and Spain and then the hunt for Livingstone geared the rest of his life as the reporter explorer who left his mark on the opening up of Africa. For an exciting biography, the author dug deep into Stanley's life and made him a full personality in these pages, without ignoring the challenges each journey entailed. I personally found this book to be a very interesting read, it kept me intrigued and involved with an attraction that intensified with each depiction of the stories.I would recommend this book to all readers young and old. For the summary I chose stories about Stanley's most memorable adventures like the search for Livingston, the journey through Africa, and Ki ng Leopold's covert purchase of African territory for best locations. Those stories really helped put Stanley into greatness due to the impact they made, he saved David Livingston, a Nation hero; also help jump start the â€Å"Race for Africa† for King Leopold; all this aside from the fact that he was quite the reporter/adventure/identity thief.

Technology and Ethics

While there is a robust debate in American society over the relation between technology and such ethical issues as democracy, localism and the environment, the introduction of technologies admits of no debate. Jerry Mander writes, â€Å"It is a melancholy fact that in our society the first waves of descriptions about new technologies invariably come from the corporations and scientists who invent and market these technologies and who have much to gain by our accepting a positive view† (Mander, 1996, 345). This is a central point: the basic issue is that the introduction of new technologies is far removed from any real democratic discussion. Such discussion always occurs in a sterile environment, always after the fact.For example, the development and mass production of the automobile was hailed almost universally as a revolutionary development. It was supposed to provide freedom of movement and make our world smaller. Such slogans also met the development of air travel, televis ion and the internet. Such things were accepted in society almost without discussion, save for a few marginalized traditionalists and agrarians who were speaking into the wind. Nevertheless, the automobile has recreated the American landscape, demanded thousands of miles of paved roads, brought civilization to small towns whether they wanted it or not, killed many millions in traffic accidents worldwide, massively increased the dependence on oil and created a massive oligarchy of corporate capital who benefits from all this.It [industrialism] also led, and leads. . . to social and political consequences: the squeezing of farm populations and the uncontrollable growth of cities, the evisceration of self-reliant communities, the enlargement of central governments, the enthronement of science as ruling ideology, a wide and increasing gap between rich and poor, and ruling values of profit, growth, property, and consumption. (Sale, 1996)Now, the general point is had all of this been know n (or theorized) in 1920, and a national discussion had taken place, would we have the mass production of automobiles?Has it, ultimately, been a good thing? Often, the common response is that â€Å"you can’t stop progress.† Such a slogan is saturated with cynicism and amorality, as if technologies were some seismic phenomenon as natural as photosynthesis. Progress is something that is, as Mander says, dictated by a handful of major corporate and government agencies who decide what shape progress will take.In addition, Mander also holds that technologies, such as nuclear power and air travel, are inherently biased politically. He writes, â€Å"To build and operate nuclear power plants requires a large, highly technical and very well-financed infrastructure. . . It can only be done by huge, centralized institutions. Without such institutions, nuclear power could not exist† (Mander, 2006, 347). Mander sees the same problems in the development of the internet.Such s peed in communications and access to information does little but assist the continued centralization of political and economic power. â€Å"In fact, it is my opinion that computer technology may be the single most important instrument ever invented for the acceleration of centralized power. While we sit at our PCs. . . .transnational corporations are using their global networks, fed by far greater resources. . . .they operate on a scale and at a speed that makes our own level of cyber-empowerment seem pathetic by comparison† (Mander, 2006, 355).Even more, such global interconnectedness, long lauded as a path to freedom and unity, brings instead, cultural leveling and a destruction of diversity. The computer revolution is a revolution that permits a handful of major cultural centers such as Hollywood to impose their view of the world into every corner of the world, and the results of this are just beginning to be seen. The issue of Hollywood and New York imposing its view of t he world to the plant is a given: the facts speak for themselves. But one then must grapple with the issue of whether or not this is a good thing? What gives Hollywood the right?The general point is that the mega-technologies have brought the world closer together and sped up the speed at which we receive information. But what are the concrete results? Could any of these results have been foreseen in the late 1970s when this technology was being developed? And if not, what does this say about democratic governance? After all, computers and automobiles have revolutionized our society with far more direct results than who gets elected president. But again, there is no democratic control over these intimate invasions of our lives and the technologies themselves not only assume centralized control, but provide the agencies of centralization with greater and greater resources.Mander’s thesis is that technology is already biased in terms of centralization and statism. In other word s, the technological revolution, which clothed itself in the mantle of freedom and progress, in fact needs a huge centralized apparatus of physical, technical, educational, political and economic forms. The technologies that have revolutionized our society have both created and in fact, assumed the existence of a radically altered landscape that touches every element of human life.The technical apparatus that must be in place to electrify an entire continent must be huge, not to mention the standing armies that must be in place to defend the corridors of energy transmission such as oil pipelines. Technology is political, and most certainly, is not isolated from the remainder of life. Technology has, in the20th century â€Å"second industrial revolution,† touched every aspect of human life without a vote taken.All technologies have consequences, inevitable and built in, and imperatives, just as inevitable, essentially separate from human dictates and desires. Norbert Wiener, t he mathematician who was the founder of modern cybernetics, has written about â€Å"technical determinants† dictated by â€Å"the very nature† of machines, and of the steam engine he noted that it automatically leads to large and ever larger scales because it can power so many separate machines at once, to ever increasing production because it must pay back its high investment and operating costs, and to centralization and specialization because factors of efficiency and economy supersede those of, say, craftsmanship or esthetic expression. (Sale, 1996).Nevertheless, there can be no discussion of these topics without that of ideology. Technology does have its own ideology, and it needs to be â€Å"unpacked.† One might summarize this point of view this way: First, that technology has its own trajectory that is independent of the will of mankind. This can be challenged by the simple fact that all technological innovations of recent memory have been developed in a corporate setting under corporate rules for profit. Men have financed and created these things. But they have not financed or created these things blindly, as part of some â€Å"natural and inevitable process.† They have been created according to a scheme of thought.Second, this scheme of thought is that happiness is a matter of technological progress and the accumulation of capital. In other words, the person that has the better car, high tech stereos and I-Pods, must, in general, be happier than one that does not, or has older, outdated equipment. Yet, there is no evidence for this, one would have a tough time pointing to research that says people are happier or less stressed now than they were 1,000 years ago.Third,   the â€Å"market† is in control over whether or not technology is accepted and hence, democratically justifiable is often heard. In other words, the â€Å"democracy† problem is solved by the market itself. If new technologies are invented and marketed, people can choose to buy or not to buy. But is it that simple? One who buys the latest inventions is progressive, while the other is regressive. To have an 8-track player in one’s car is an occasion for mockery, regardless of the satisfaction one gets from having such â€Å"vintage† equipment. Advertising and marketing campaigns are not projected to one’s reason, but to one’s base passions, to be considered acceptable, lovable and intelligent, rather than boorish and ignorant. The acceptance or rejection of technology also partakes of these components as well.I think that in general, these arguments are universally seen as undergirding and justifying the immense power of technology in modern societies, and in fact, even defining what â€Å"modern† actually is. While technology is taken for granted, the beginnings of a serious discussion can only begin when the basic assumptions of a technological life are unpacked. What are the assumption s and promises, and to what extent has the high-tech society succeeded in meeting these expectations? It might be unreflectively held that people who lived 1,000 years ago were uniformly miserable and ignorant, yet serious research into that field has succeeded in smashing that silly myth, but it still remains the domain of eccentric specialists.Yet such a view undergirds much discussion on the question of technology and its role in society. Technology and its thought-apparatus have succeeded even in rewriting history to suit itself: people were miserable and ignorant up until the 19th century. It is difficult to see how the high-tech society can justify itself in any other way. But the nature of any â€Å"discussion† must have teeth. In other words, it must be attached to the ability of communities and families to break away from the grid and being living different, wholesome lives. Sterile academic â€Å"discussions† do nothing but justify faculty salaries. Such talk must have a revolutionary purpose, to shift the movement of progress as Bookchin sees it: from technological gigantism to miniaturism, starting with the means by which the machines are powered.Given the above arguments, Kirkpatrick Sale has written substantially on the rebellion, both historical and modern, of the land versus the machine, the ultimate bi-modality in this discussion. His argument nicely dovetails with Mander in many respects. The first question is the difference between technology and a system of production. Mander holds that there is no difference, that machinery depends on a huge, centralized system of life and thought, the â€Å"bureaucratic man.† On the other hand, Sale holds that the real revolution was in the development of the steam engine.For him, this was the first time that an invention came into existence completely independent of nature, rather than actually using it. Just as importantly, this invention also made the quantum jump from the world of local machines to an entire system of production and life. Steam created the modern factory and its discipline that derive from it (Sale, 1996). In other words, the development of steam took the organic community and plugged it into a world of production dominated by a handful of elites. But this should be noted: that it has been the issue of how machines are powered that led to the creation of the first â€Å"grid.†Again, the issue comes back to that of energy. With this, the more optimistic view of Bookchin makes more sense, since it is really not machinery per se, but the means by which they are powered that is non-liberatory in its tendency. Bookchin seems to say that the reduction of power to solar and wind sources (among other natural sources) is both inevitable (as oil runs out and coal is too dirty) and morally demanded if decentralization and true local democracy are to become a reality.In his â€Å"Five Facets of a Myth† Sale asks the simple question: has th e 400 years since the Industrial revolution produces more or less happiness for humanity (as a whole)? Has it produced more equality, more justice, less work, less stress, more mental stability, for humanity as a whole? What were the promises of the technological revolution? These arguments, from Bacon to Compte have been nothing less than plenty, peace, less work and stress, a veritable utopia of production where drudgery would disappear. Diseases would be cured, wars ended and mental illness a thing of the past. But has industrialism and technology carried through on these promises? And what has been the cost of the convenience that industry has created?It seems that Mander, Bookchin and Sale would all agree that the promises of industrialism and the technological revolution have not been fulfilled. As one sort of knowledge is brought forward, some others are left behind. All that does not conform to the English model of industrialization (or industrialization in general), is dism issively called â€Å"backward† and â€Å"primitive,† as terms of abuse.II. Society, Churches and the Technological RevolutionAs a matter of course, society seems to be a passive victim of the propaganda of the industrialists. Technology has invaded every corner of human life, altering landscapes of entire continents. All of this has been done long before any kind of debate has been engaged. This is the central problem. On the whole, churches have accepted the technological revolution with little protest. There are small exceptions: the Russian Old Believers, the Amish, some traditional Roman Catholic and Orthodox writers have detailed the problems, both moral and social, of technology and its dominance over life.One promising area of research has been developed by the green anarchists, who have taken at least some of their material from the erstwhile Murray Bookchin, who advocated a humanized technology detached from centralized structures. Solar power is the perennia l example, since it is relatively easy to install and is off a grid, in other words, it need not be connected into any larger structures of power. Bookchin, in his 1970 Post Scarcity Anarchism, contains a powerful essay called â€Å"Toward a Liberatory Technology.†The early date of this publication makes it of great interest in modern writings against the technological revolution. Bookchin is far more optimistic than Mander, and holds that the movement in this revolution is toward the small scale: computers and machinery in general are getting physically smaller and using less and less energy. This movement is a good thing and can assist in the building of a new, decentralized society (Bookchin, 1970, 59).A liberated society, I believe, will not want to negate technology precisely because it has liberated and can strike a balance. It may well want to assimilate the machine to artistic craftsmanship. By this I mean that the machine will remove the toil from the productive proc ess, leaving its artistic completion to man. The machine, in effect, will participate in human creativity. . . In a liberated community the combination of industrial machines and craftsmans tools could reach a degree of sophistication and of creative interdependence unparalleled in any period of human history (Bookchin, 1970, 80).The distinction between Mander and Bookchin in clear: For the former, technology is inherently biased, at least in its present manifestation. Mander, like Bookchin, holds that solar and wind power is the wave of the future, and, in general, can mean that life â€Å"off the grid† is quite possible, enhancing independence and local control over events. The central issue here is democracy and local control: off-grid means local control, and cultural and economic lives are not necessarily dictated by distant banks, the Federal Reserve or the global economy, none of which the average community has any control over. But in Bookchin’s case, the indus trial revolution already contains the seeds of its decentralization and hence, sees in the industrial revolution seeds of a new, liberated society. In general, by the term â€Å"liberated† Bookchin means independent of centralized sources of control.One interesting source of Christian radicalism has been the monastery. Here, especially in its Orthodox foundations, the technological revolution has been held at bay. For example, the Platina, California monastery of St. Herman is completely off grid. They have no running water or electricity, and grow most of their own food (Damascene, 2002). Their grounds are beautiful and spacious, and since they are vegetarians, hunting is prohibited (as is the case for all Orthodox monasteries). Their diet is very simple yet extremely healthy, and the community is growing. They run a major publishing house on generator power run by solar panels. The Platina experience has become central for giving an example of how to live a happy, healthy l ife without dependence on the system of interlocking systems of control which is meant by the term â€Å"grid.†Another example might be the St. Mary’s community in St. Mary’s Kansas. This is a Roman Catholic community that only partially controls the small town of St. Mary’s. They seek to live their lives simply and peacefully in prayer and honest labor. It is not a monastery and families thrive there, but they have already received several visits from the FBI, paranoid that a â€Å"cult† was at work there. If anything, such communities have an uphill climb from the state as well as the media, whose coverage of the community has been uniformly hostile and uncomprehending. (cf. http://www.smac.edu, St. Mary’s Academy page, with some information on the community as a whole).One can surmise with a great deal of justification that the average American family has embraced technology as â€Å"inevitable,† without fully understanding the com plex consequences of such technologies. Slowly but surely however, the rather marginalized monastics, anarchists and greens have made somewhat of an impact. But if Bookchin is correct, the smaller scale of newer technologies will make a freer life possible with rather small changes in social consciousness. What seems to be at the center is the nature of power. If power can be locally created through bio-mass or solar energy, then technology can become liberatory. The grid seems to be based on power, i.e. energy, more than anything else though it cannot be limited to that.Every community would approximate local or regional autarky. It would seek to achieve wholeness, because wholeness produces complete, rounded men who live in a symbiotic relationship with their environment. Even if a substantial portion of the economy fell within the sphere of a national division of labor, the overall economic weight of a society would still rest with the community (Bookchin, 1970, 83).The central g ood here is independence. But it is difficult to square the American interest in â€Å"environmental politics† with anything other than a fashionable political cause. It is hard to see how such a superficial commitment can be brought to bear on the rather humane anarchism and communitarianism of Bookchin. It seems that for the moment, the experiments such as Platina will remain marginalized and unappealing to the masses. The debate might continue, but, for better or worse, that does not stop the â€Å"inevitable wheel of progress† from spinning.A recent study from Cornell University suggests that most of Americans are strongly beginning to question the issue of genetically engineered foods. This technology was gradually introduced into food production largely unbeknownst to the American public. Hence, since about two-thirds of American food is so processed, the â€Å"debate† is largely a moot one. Nevertheless, Cornell claims that there has been a â€Å"slight but significant shift over time towards a little less support [for genetically engineered foods] and more risk perception† (Bio-Medicine, 2005).What are the conclusions we can reach here? The first might be that the more practical questions of the ethic of technology must be brought under a more general heading: this heading has been dealt with above and is the relationship of technology to liberty and democracy. All other goods flow from this. If one can show that technology has led to a stressed, mentally unbalanced and mechanized society, then one must be able to reform the system and bring to bear new insights. If machinery is harmful to democracy and local control, then it needs to be eliminated, or at least, highly modified in the way that Bookchin proposes. Hiding behind arguments about the   â€Å"inevitable† nature of â€Å"technical progress† will not do, but these only beg the question.Second, the question of technology and ethics is central to moder n societies, and needs to be taken out of the classroom and into the Congress and the public square. These issues are not about the â€Å"environment† per se, but the environment is just an appendage of the more important questions concerning the nature of centralized economic control (whether from the state or corporate America, or an alliance of both) and its intimate relation to the history of technological progress. This is the bedrock issue of technology and its relation to ethics, that is, to freedom and autonomy. Freedom and autonomy, therefore, must also be the bedrock of a democratic order.A Model Syllabus: A Brief IntroductionThis seminar is entitled Technology and Democracy, and will meet five times. It will incorporate film, written work and discussion. All points of view are welcome and encouraged. Nevertheless, it should be made clear that the basic issues are defined as the relationship of technology and the sources of its creation and marketing with democracy, equality and safety. The issues below are meant to illustrate these basic themes from varying fields of study. This syllabus is meant to take the basic insights above, that is, the relationship of democracy to technology (as the center of technological ethics) and bring it to bear on more practical pursuits such as medicine or computer science.Day IThe question of technology and childrenReadings to have prepared beforehand:Parens, Eric (2006) Surgically Shaping Children: Technology, Ethics and the Pursuit of Noramality. Johns Hopkins University PressThis work will be the main topic of the first meeting. Discussion and workshops will follow concerning the impact of technology on raising children. Topics will include, sex selection and abortion, genetic engineering and, importantly, the medicating of children, especially boys. Basic issues of sexism (especially anti-male bias) will be discussedDay IIEthics and Health Care TechnologyReadings to have prepared beforehandAnderson, James (2002) Ethics and Information Technology: A Care Based Approach to a Health Care System in Transition. Springer Books.The discussion will center upon the nature of genetic engineering in the realm of medicine and ethics. But what needs to be stressed is the connection between the corporate or state control of medicine and the nature of ethics and centralized power.A video will also be shown:Sulmasy, Daniel (2004) Dignity, Vulnerability and Care of the Patient. St. Vincent’s Medical Center. 55 min (available at http://www.providence.org/oregon/programs_and_services/ethics/e15clips.htm)Day IIIReadings to have prepared beforehandEthics and Weapons TechnologyBrigetedy, Ruben (2007) Ethics, Technology and the American Way of War. Routledge.This component will concern technology and the development of weapons. There is no separate between the industrial revolution and the development of mass warfare and extremely high-casualty wars. Technology must face this element of itself, its promises to bring humanity peace and plenty are belied by the fact that technology has all of the most deadly weapons known to man. Science, in other words, is not intrinsically liberating, it can also enslave.Day IVEthics and Information TechnologyReadings to have prepared beforehandStamatellos, Giannis (2007) Computer Ethics: A Global Perspective. Jones and BartlettThis part of the seminar will deal with the issues involved in computer technology and privacy. This is a central issue in today’s economy and must be dealt with. Issues such as Pay-Pal and Ebay will be discussed, as well as the potential for fraud and abuse.Day VEthics and mental HealthReadings to have prepared beforehandDyer, Allen (1988) Ethics and Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Association PublicationsMental health and pharmaceuticals are important areas of ethics today. Tens of millions throughout the world are currently on legal, pharmaceuticals for mental illness. Hence, the issue goes right to the heart of this course: the intimacy of technology to the average person. In this case, the technology goes straight to the brain and manipulates the chemistry, altering the personality for better or worse. But at the same time, these medications are marketed for profit, hence creating a moral quandary: is the prescription of these medications medically necessary or even proper? Is the profit motive center stage here, or the science of medicine, and even more, to what extent has this science been controlled by the profit motive itself?Students will end the seminar with a brief presentation concerning one of the these five topics relative to the main topic: the relation of technology to democracy and liberty.Bibliography:â€Å"American Opinions are Split on Genetically Engineered Food.† Bio Medicine News. 2005. (Bio-medicine.org)Bookchin, Murray (1970) Post Scarcity Anarchism. AK Press.Damascene, Fr. (2003). Fr. Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works. St. Herman’s Press (Fr. Seraph im founded the settlement at Platina, CA)Mander, Jerry (2006). â€Å"Technologies of Globalization.† in Mander, ed. The Case Against the Global Economy. Sierra Club Books. 344-359Sale, Kirkpatrick (1996) Rebels Against the Future. Basic Books(nd) â€Å"Five Facets of a Myth.† Primitivism Online Journal. (Primitivism.org)