Secularization of knowledge Essays - Secularism,

Education & the Secularization of knowledge In a lecture I delivered in Moulay Ismail University, M?knes, for the students of English department, on the topic "the Philosophy of Knowledge between Science and Religion", one of the students intervened during the discussion and argued that secularism doesn't exert any sort of dictatorship over people, and that it grants the latter all the freedom they need to practice their religion without persecution. That young man's intervention was a criticism to what I said during the core lecture, that secularism constitutes one of the aspects of dictatorship, for it excludes religion out of the scene of power without any rational justification. It was clear that the young man didn't grasp well my arguement; or rather he was overwhelmed in the secular Marxist thought as told me latter on by one of my friends who knows him well. Needless to say, secularism implies the separation between religion and state. That is, excluding religion out of all the sensitive spheres of power, including politics, education, economy, media, and judicature. Religion in the secular point of view is meant for the socio-cultural arena, and therefore it hasn't and shouldn't have any say as far as politics is concerned. This fact is plainly embodied in the constitutions of secular states, lived and experienced in the daily life of people in secular societies. Therefore my target here is not to recapitulate what is actually agreed upon, but to show the infrastructure of the concept education and values in the new secular perspective. In the history of educational systems, one can broadly distinguish between two systems with much discretion to the conventional adjectives I may use to describe each one of them: (traditional) and (modern). The traditional system of education often refers to the ancient perspective and set of practices carried out in the name of education: it is usually known of putting stress upon knowledge and ethics. It therefore...

Which important sections of th essays

Which important sections of th essays On becoming Prime Minister in 1868 Gladstone had a mission to pacify Ireland. This was going to be partly responsible for the loss of power after one term when the Liberal Party had been at its electoral victory at its highest level of popularity and more united than it was to ever be again in the nineteenth century. It was called by Ensor the greatest ministry of Victorias reign however this was more to do with its speed and the issues taken on in its early years than the outstanding ability of its ministers as a whole. The government was very much a mixed ministry with Whigs, Radicals and Peelites however the Whigs dominated. The new middle class ministers were in control of the departments with the greatest legislative responsibilities. Gladstone who approved of what was done left the details of the bills to his ministers whilst he was engaged in the pacification of Ireland, which he thought would be achieved by reforms of land, religion and education. A major cause of upset among Liberal supporters was Forsters 1870 Education Act as it failed to provide the system of free, national and secular education that the Nonconformists were committed. The nonconformists were a key pillar of support, within the Liberal coalition, so they were not happy when the act seemed to favour Anglicans as it increased their state grant and to obtain some measure of rate aid as well. The non-conformists have their own pressure group called the National Education League founded in 1869 by Joseph Chamberlain and a group of radicals. Their contempt for the 1870 Act led the League to become more political and more extreme. Chamberlain wrote the great principal of Religious equality must be accepted as part of the Programme of any Party which seeks our support and alliance. The Nonconformist Revolt long threatened has begun. Religious disunity was rife wit...

Should texting and driving be against the law Essay

Should texting and driving be against the law - Essay Example This has made texting while driving common among drivers coupled with the high numbers of youngsters on the road who are a fun of this method of communication. Texting while driving has been a threat to road users since it distracts the attention of the driver from the wheel and the road causing him to cause accidents. It is therefore necessary to come up with rules that can regulate the use of mobile phones by the drivers. Texting while driving is dangerous to the road users and should be illegal in Alberta. Alberta is a country which has always been keen on improving road safety rules by enforcing traffic policies and regulations. In addition, Alberta transportation aims at ensuring safety for all road users in the province through monitoring and enforcing safety standards. The Traffic Safety Act and regulations of Alberta guides all the road users on the traffic rules to be followed and the possible consequences of going against the set rules. Though these rules have helped manage traffic in Alberta, there are a few issues that crop up with time that hinder road safety in the province thus the rules need regular amendments in order to keep up to date with the advancing technology. The case of texting and driving on the roads of Alberta has been on the spotlight in the recent past and right now there is an outstanding bill that is waiting to be passed concerning whether texting and driving should be made illegal. Anyone who owns a mobile phone and has ever chatted online is aware of what communicating through text messages involve. It takes all the attention of a person leaving very little or none to the wheel and the road. The result of this is may be causing an accident and probably involving a chain of other road users since the roads in Alberta are usually busy. It would therefore be good if the outstanding bill passes to check on the rising road

Why Women Should Not be Allowed in Active Combat Duty Essay

Why Women Should Not be Allowed in Active Combat Duty - Essay Example They are admirable in the way they acquit themselves in times of conflict and split second decision making and maybe, just maybe -- we might even have a female president some day. Women still have lofty ambitions when it comes to more things that they hope to do in terms of male equality and, along with the presidency, fighting alongside men in active combat is still one glass ceiling they cannot break. Although there already exists cracks in that particular ceiling, I do not believe that women should ever be allowed to see active combat for a number of valid reasons. There are two main reasons that women should not be allowed in combat according to Robert Bork (qtd. in Sowin). Those reasons are: 1. Putting women in combat is crucial to women’s self-esteem and to men’s respect for women. (That has never been true in the past and it is impossible to see why it should be true now.) 2. Combat roles are important to military advancement. The above arguments are all based up on the way that women are traditionally viewed in our society. Women's rights activists protest the idealization of the female role in society because it makes them seem like fragile, emotionally weak people who do not have any desire or capability to defend themselves or others. By joining the military and joining active combat, women feel that they are an equally strong sex and are capable of fighting the good fight also. This is one case wherein the intentions may be sound, but the execution will always be weak. The reality of women in the military is that they are given preference and leeway in most streneous and taxing activities because women do not have the same stamina as men. In fact, women who train in West Point and other military institutions are not made to compete against other men or by male standards, they are only measured in terms of capabilty against other women. This can prove to be detrimental on the battlefield where they fight alongside men who are faster and stronger but are then held back in order to allow the women to catch up. (Sowin Why Women Should Not Be Allowed in Combat). Gender norming and lowering the training standards in order to allow women to pass is a disservice to our world class soldiers who are expected to lead on the battlefield. Women are still thought of all over the world, most specially in the Muslim territories as being weak and dependent on the male species. Majority of the modern women have managed to change that idea by proving that they can be emotionally and physically strong in various ways. I take my hats off to those women. However, fighting in an active battlefront requires much more than just marathon training and endurance tests. There are those who take on the point of view that : Women are not suited by temperament or by physical characteristics for the highly aggressive, ultra-violent pursuit of victory in battle. Much of an army’s success depends upon intimidation of the enemy. A force compo sed of women is far less intimidating than one consisting of macho men. Intimidation of the enemy saves lives in wartime. (Women Should Not Be Allowed in Military Combat). Consider if you will, that the enemies of our nation field burly, scary, and brainwashed men into battle. They live to intimidate the weak. The simple glare of of their eyes, flare of the nostrils, or clearing of the throat is designed to instill fear into any enemy be he male or female. Fighting a war does not allow for segregation of the sexes in order to effectively fight the battle. It is man vs. woman in most cases and, no matter what Hollywood says about G.I. Jane, a woman can easily be taken down by a well trained and strength enhanced enemy. This will then pose a problem for the team who will

Valentines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Valentines - Essay Example She expected more appreciation than a disappointment from her best friend. Nelly said that being athletic make her stronger. She says that it is her choice to be a sportswoman, and she expects her lover to motivate and not to disappoint (London, 2015). Nelly says that she was astonished by her date to offer a gift suggesting she cut on her weight (London, 2015). Nelly said that that a membership card to a Slimming club was the least she expected on a Valentine date. She always imagined that her friend likes and support her involvement in sports; however, she was disgusted. It is out of this anger and lack of respect that she decided to end their relationship (London, 2015). Katie Ford a 33 years old business woman had a worst experience on a Valentines Day (London, 2015). Ford like many other ladies knew that she was to have a romantic time for many years after she broke up with her boyfriend at the age of 26 years. For the years she had Valentine date, Ford had appreciated the company of her date, but not this time. As usual she waited patiently for her date to pick her and drive to town. Her date came on time, and they headed for the party. However, this time she experienced a traumatic encounter after she and her date had to part ways. That evening they went to buy drinks, but they changed the plan and stayed in the restaurant. Her date started drinking, and they talked of a better future. She was promised so many things and could not afford to resist him. Ford though hesitant agreed to let him have a chance. Their romantic time did not last long as they Fords date got too drunk. He started fighting with strangers and police were called to calm him down. When police arrived, they arrested Ford’s lover even after she begged for his release. The police had no other choice but to arrest the unruly man and booked him overnight. Ford was so disappointed in his friend behaviour and

Lifestyle Changes in the 1920s US

Lifestyle Changes in the 1920s US â€Å"Cultural civil war† (Digital History), Symbolizes the era of the 1920s. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald labeled this decade the Jazz Age. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, he criticized the exterior and possessive lives of Americans after the war. The traditional lifestyles were fading away while the luxurious, party lifestyle flourished. Throughout the 1920s Americans continually tested the universal image of desired behavior. The decade was shaped by wealth, parties, moonshine, and sexually expressive dancing. The changing lifestyles developed major cultural conflicts within America. Alcohol, music, immigration, racism, and flappers of the 1920s illustrate the changing lifestyles brought about by the jazz age. During the 1920s, alcohol was the greatest contributor to the lifestyle changes and cultural conflicts. These changes eventually became noticed by the governing power, and on January 16, 1920 the 18th Amendment came into effect. The 18th Amendment, known as prohibition, was the forbidding by law of manufacture, transport, and sale of alcohol. Along with 18th Amendment, congress passed the Volstead Act to enforce the new prohibition on alcohol. The mob and gangsters took advantage of the opportunity and began smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and became quite profitable. Alcohol was smuggled in from Mexico and Canada, also being shipped from abroad to the U.S. from Europe and the Caribbean. Canada was exporting roughly a million gallons of alcohol to the United States a year. Bootleggers made their own drinks with wood, alcohol and medical supplies, sometimes causing blindness, paralysis, or death. In The Great Gatsby, and in the 1920s, bootlegging was sociably acceptable. In F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, Nick comments on Gatsbys house after his huge party, telling him that his house party glowed immensely like the â€Å"worlds fair† (Fitzgerald 86). All of Gatsbys guests knew he was involved with organized crime, but yet seemed to attend all of his parties without hesitation. Because of the Prohibition law, Gangsters developed secret drinking establishments, Speakeasies; which provided an entertaining atmosphere, jazz music, food, and alcohol. The illegal bars were called speakeasies because you had to speak the password to enter. With the flood of liquor expanding, the government created the Prohibition Bureau, which always fell short of men and money. The mob, due to the amount of money they were making, were able to expand their influence on bribe public officials; many judges, law makers, police, and Prohibition Bureau members were on various crime organizations payrolls. Alphonse â€Å"Scarface† Capone was one of the famous bribers of the Jazz Age. Capone essentially owned Chicago, and in 1927 he made around $60 million by bootlegging. In the End, â€Å"The idea behind Prohibition was to reduce crime and poverty, and generally improve the quality of life in America—by making it impossible for people to get their hands on alcohol. But this so called ‘Nobel Experiment was a colossal failure† (Speakeasies, Flappers Red Hot Jazz: Music of the Prohibition). Lasting roughly thirteen years, Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment, on December 5, 1933, legalizing alcohol. In addition to alcohol parents, teachers, and pastors blamed the lifestyle changes on the musical changes of the Jazz age. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement where black authors, musicians, and artists show cased the talent that African Americans had to offer, marked the beginning of the musical changes. It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who called the 1920s the â€Å"Jazz Age†, but it was the African Americans who gave the era its jazz. Jazz is a musical form, native to the United States, creatively mixing different forms of music, including African American blues and rag time, and European-based popular music. As slaves African Americans learned few European cultural traditions. Becoming popular in the late 1920s, jazz was very â€Å"addictive† to people because of its unusual beat and rhythm. In The Great Gatsby, when Nick, Daisy, and Tom are walking to their car, Daisy is drawn back inside by the music, tuning all other surrounding sounds out (Fitzgerald 115). Jazz was so distinct it didnt just spread among the U.S., but around the world. Some of Jazzs most famous artists within the 1920s were Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong. Jazz along with the beat and rhythm developed new dance styles, such as the Charleston, becoming so popular that it still symbols the Jazz Age. Along with Jazz, other musical forms and changes emerged, such as Blues, Hillbilly, and boogie woogie music. Of the 1920s, Bessie Smith was the best and most influential classic blues singer. Hillbilly music, also known as country music, was best represented by musician Jimmie Rodgers. Pianist Cow Cow Davenport developed the trademark tune â€Å"cow cow blues†, giving life to boogie woogie piano style. The Roaring twenties, known as the Jazz age because of Jazzs unusual beat and rhythm, became the most popular music of the era. The invention of the radio â€Å"drew the nation together by bringing news, entertainment, and advertisements to more than 10 million households by 1929† (The Formation of Modern American Mass Culture). The newly invented radio contributed to the flourishing of jazz, and gained widespread appeal during the decade, even among the whites. Another Contributor to the lifestyle changes in the 1920s was immigration. 4,107,209 immigrants immigrated into the United States from 1921 to 1930. Immigrants brought along their lifestyles and culture; thus forming a culture clash. This is exampled in The Great Gatsby when those from the Midwest Nick Carraway were fair, honest, and straight forward, while those living in the East for sometime Tom and Daisy Buchanan were unfair, corrupt, and materialistic. Many immigrated to America hoping for the American Dream, social advancement, freedom, and endless opportunities. Main issue with immigration was the competition for jobs. In 1921 a quota system for immigrants was developed by congress. A quota system is an arrangement that limited the number of immigrants who could enter the U.S. from specific countries. In 1924 the National Origins Act, states that the number of immigrants of a given nationality each year could not exceed 2% of the number of people of that nationality living in the United States in 1890. By the middle of the 1920s one out of every four people was an immigrant. The Quota Law of 1924 and 1929 act limited the number of immigrants to 150,000 to be distributed among people of various nationalities in proportion to the umber of their compatriots already in the United States in 1920. Many Americans viewed these immigrants as a threat to American religious and social values, as well as economic opportunities. Due to the number of immigrants, racism peeked during the 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan, a hate group, reached nearly 4-5 million members in the 1920s, spreading throughout the U.S. The KKK aimed at killing non-whites and other religious groups, harassed and promoted hatred towards African Americans, but also aimed at the new America forming within the cities. They targeted Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. One center of Klan strength was Indiana, where leader David Stephenson was strict and controlled few politicians. In the darkness of night the KKK burned crosses, boycotted business owned by Jewish, Catholics, and Africans, terrorizing the citizens. The Klan wore masks to conceal their identities, waved flags and preached hate. Famous leaders of the Klan during this era include Grand Dragon and Imperial Wizard. Behind the hard, hateful exterior, were just Americans fearful of change. Flappers, directly illustrate the changing lifestyles and cultural battles within the Jazz Age. Many of the young unmarried women of the twenties rebelled against the conventional patterns of behavior and became known as flappers. Flappers often cut their hair short, wore it in a bob, and wore short straight dresses that would flap around when they would dance. Flappers flaunted their independence from parents by going away to college or moving to the city. They also abandoned social taboos that said women shouldnt drink, smoke or become sexually active. Daisy and Myrtle from The Great Gatsby embody the flapper image by drinking and their party lifestyles. Both of them also cheated on their husbands, having love for more than one man. Flappers were known to hang out in speakeasies and night clubs where they danced with bear arms and legs flying. Flappers flaunted their sexuality; this marked the 1920s individuality of the modern woman. The 1920s was a decade of deep cultural conflict (The 1920s An Overview). The cultural conflicts of the twenties were between a more metropolitan culture, and a more traditional culture. Americans were no longer interested in politics, but entertainment. Because the 1920s produced a breed of artists, musicians, and writers, who were among the most ingenious and clever in American history, the 1920s developed into one of the most crucial periods in the countries cultural history (The Formation of Modern American Mass Culture). Author F. Scott Fitzgerald called the 1920s the Jazz Age and the decade was truly was Jazzs golden age. â€Å"The stock market crash of 1929 signaled the end of the party. The roaring 20s came to a close in economic chaos and the lighthearted atmosphere of the Prohibition era fizzled out with the end of the decade† (Roaring Twenties). The changing lifestyles brought about by the 1920s Jazz Age was embodied by alcohol, music, immigration, racism, and fla ppers.

the hatchet Essay -- essays research papers

This book is about a boy named Brian Roberson who gets stuck in the wilderness when his plane crash-lands because the pilot has a heart attack. It all started when Brian's parents had a divorce. He was sent away on a plane by his mother because it was summertime when his dad had custody. The parting gift his mother gave him was a hatchet. He wore the hatchet on a belt. When he left on the private little Cessna 406 plane in the copilot's seat he never could imagine how this little trip would change his life. In the airplane he thought a lot about his parents and the secret he kept. The secret was that he knew that his mom was having an affair with another man when she was still married to his father. Brian was thinking this until the pilot interrupted his thoughts and asked him if he has ever been in a copilot's seat before. He answered by saying that he has never been on an airplane. The pilot showed Brian how to fly the airplane by letting him fly for a ! while. A little after Brian finished he was thinking again about his parents when he noticed that the pilot was rubbing his shoulder and jaw. A few minutes later the pilot said to Brian that he was in a lot of pain and he started using the radio to signal for help. He didn't make it long enough to talk and had a massive heart attack. When he had the heart attack he hit the right rudder making the plane swoop right. Brian could not believe what happened. He had an idea to use the radio. But just before the radio transmissi...

Engineers Need to Know About Economics

Title of presentation Engineering students should learn economics. I chose this topic because it related directly to my audience whom are mostly engineering students. Audience Knowledge level of audience My audience and I will graduated in a few years and the topic that I will deliver closely linked to my audience. Every student should aware about their challenges that they will face in the future. I hope the speech that I will convey could give some basic preparation in the future especially in managing their wealth and for preparation to start a business.How I plan to gain the audience’s attention I would like to start the presentation by sharing the statistic of bankruptcy in Malaysia due to poor managing the wealth. Mostly, the fresh graduates encounter this problem because they want to have luxury car and home at young age. Presentation 1) Introduction Purpose and importance of this topic To persuade my audience especially engineering students that they should prepare the mselves with economic skills because they need both to become good engineer. Great ideas of engineering but do not have money to implement is a failure.How the topic relevant to the audience In the modern world of today filled with the latest technology one can ever dream of, competing with others to have a good qualification in education is not an unusual phenomena. Having just engineering based knowledge is not enough to become a good engineer. It is because money is one of important factor in completing a project. Furthermore, fresh graduates also need to manage their wealth well since a lot of graduates facing problem because lack of information about the loans that they have made. Thesis statement:Engineers students should prepared themselves with economic empowerment so that they could manage their wealth, help them in starting their own business or during managerial period. Main points: * Economics is important in helping fresh graduates to manage their money well. * To prepa re engineers before they get promotion as a manager. * Engineering graduates need good economics skills to start their own business. Establish credibility In this semester, I am taking Engineering Economics & Entrepreneurship course. This course were related to this topic.I also have read and researched that engineers need more than engineering based knowledge to a job in today’s world. Apart from that, many of my seniors, acquaintances have shared their experience that having a good managing money for ourselves or for company is important for working in comfort. 2) Body Organisational pattern I will use problem-cause- solution order as my organizational pattern for this presentation. Many graduates faced financial problems such as loans from bank and after that I will shared the solution to the audience.Supporting ideas for each main point. * Economics is important in helping fresh graduates manage their money well. * Of more than 1. 7 Million bankrupts in Malaysia,  there are more than 90,000 civil servants of the Malaysian government that are made bankrupt  just because they failed to pay on their car loans or being a guarantor to one. * Fresh graduates should be equipped with economics so that they know where to invest their money and helping them in making decision during making loans to buy a car or house. To prepare engineers before they get promotion as a manager. * Manage cash flow well is one of the important duty of a manager. * To become a good manager of company, engineering graduates need both engineering and business skills to avoid them from be tricked. * Engineering graduates need good economics and business skills to start their own company. * Engineering graduates need both engineering specialties and good managing the money to have a competent business. * The number of unemployed persons in this country rose to around 402,300 in July from 388,500 in June.If engineering graduates were thought how to make money from the engineering skills that they already learnt, they will have confident to start their own company and directly will decrease the number of unemployment. Transition from one point to next point I will ensure that there is coherent transition from one main point to the next main point by mentioning the order of the main points at the beginning of the presentation. In addition, to enhance the understanding about the topic, I will use linkers in my presentation such as â€Å"furthermore†, â€Å"in addition†, and â€Å"on top of that†.Summaries each point I will repeat the problem that fresh graduate will face in the future and the solutions that could help them. By doing that, audience could remember the main issue in each point. The audience should remember that managing wealth is important to live happily in future. 3) Conclusion Summaries of entire presentation I will summaries the entire presentation by recalled my audience with all the main points that I already presented. Every problem and solutions will be repeated so that my audience will remember what my speech is all about until the end of the speech.I will show great some entrepreneurs that have both specialties in engineering and business. Describe on reiterate the purpose and importance of the whole presentation to relate to your audience. I will reiterate this presentation to my audience by explaining to them that there is very important for us to start changing the myths that the knowledge that were thought in university right know are enough. It is because everyone including engineering student should well prepared themselves with basic economic skills. Q&A sessionQuestions that I anticipate from the audience * What type of knowledge that student should prepared? * What type of challenges that students will face in the future? Practice session How did I practice my speech? * I practice my speech mostly in my room roughly about 10 times. Sometimes I also practice in front my friends. Area o f my speech needed improvement * I need improvement in delivery especially in pronunciation. Time limit Without consider the environmental effect that I will have during the presentation, from the practices, I managed to stay within the time limit.

Glycolysis essays

Glycolysis essays 1. Discuss the complete oxidation of glucose by the processes of glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. Be sure to include in which part of the cell each process occurs. Do not dwell on details and numerical balance of the reactions, but focus on the major reactants, products and destinations of these products. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells need energy to make proteins or DNA, to move, and to grow. The energy used by the cells most commonly is supplied from ATP, adenosine triphosphate. Sets of basic, biochemical reactions are used to make this ATP, using energy captured from oxidation and glucose. The metabolic pathways that oxidize glucose to make ATP in the cell are glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and electron transport chain. Glycolysis, a ten-step, anaerobic, enzyme catalyzed reaction, is the first process involved in capturing the energy of glucose to make ATP. Both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells undergo glycolysis in the cytosol of the cell. The first 5 steps of glycolysis use ATP to phosphorylate glucose, a reaction that invests ATP to drive the reaction forward. The first step has glucose enter the cell, using the enzyme hexokinase to catalyze the reaction, causing an investment of a molecule of ATP. As a result, glucose 6-phosphate is synthesized. Step two uses and isomerase known as phosphoglucoisamerase, to arrange glucose 6-phosphate into its isomer fructose 6-phosphate. One more molecule of ATP is then invested, during step three, due the enzyme phosphofructokinase. This produces fructose 1, 6-biphosphate, a 6-carbon sugar. During step four, the enzyme aldolase cleaves the 6-carbon sugar into two 3-carbon sugars, known as dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde phosphate. St ep five uses an isomerase to catalyze the reversible conversion between the two 3-carbon sugars. Due to this, equilibrium is never achieved. Of these two isomers, only glyceraldehyde phosphate move ...

Germanys Economy and Challenges as a country and as a member of the

Germanys Economy and Challenges as a country and as a member of the Germany's Economy and Challenges as a country and as a member of the EU – Essay Example Germanys Economy and Challenges as a Country and As a Member of the EU The Current Political and Economic Situation of Germany within Europe Germany, a dominant country in Europe, enjoys several benefits as a member of the European Union (EU). The adoption of the euro spurs investments in European countries since there is lower interest rates. German companies and investors have a competitive edge owing to its stable manufacturing base and the economic and political environment. The current economic and political situation of Germany within Europe offers some current and future challenges. Economically, Germany has the largest national economy within Europe. The country plays an important role in a period where there is extensive globalization, especially in economic terms. Germany has a globalized economy mostly because of its social market economy policy, which has consequently ranked it as among the world’s leading exporters. Apart from hosting trade fairs, Germany has the largest stock market listed companies globally. Alongside the United States, it is committed to an open, ever-changing and ever-expanding world economy. The economic environment offers several current and future challenges as a member of the EU. Germany fairs well in terms of national debt than the other EU countries, characterized by high tax revenues and a thriving economy. Even though, its spending surpasses tax revenues, coupled by an extremely high debt in most states and municipalities. In addition, Germany mainly constitutes an aging population, and this coupled by soaring unemployme nt rates, means that there is less tax revenue because of the depletion of social security at a faster rate than before. As a requirement of the EU, Germany lowered its budget deficit below 3% of GDP, to avoid future fiscal problems. Politically, Germany has a parliamentary government that promotes a democratic constitution. Its constitutional structure accentuates the protection of individual freedom and division of powers in a federal arrangement. There are several political parties, such as Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union, Social Democratic Party, and Free Democratic Party, which influence the political situation for the region. The Basic Law provides stability and liberty in the region, which is similar to the liberal Western democracies. The political environment offers several current and future challenges. Violent hate crimes, racism, and neo-Nazism are current challenges that affect the future of Germany as a member of the EU owing to their intermittent turmoil. In addition, the euro-crisis is a pivotal foreign-policy issue that affects the operations of the country. The political fragmentation in the region is bound to worsen the situation because the country’s leader does not ha ve a majority vote and an overriding support from its citizens (Ewing 2013). Germany is the worlds biggest single exporting nation, dominates the European Union, and there is recent interest in the use of the German-based euro as an international currency. These economic factors are significant if Germany strives to avert any future challenges because of its political and economic situation. Germany is a globally competitive player owing to its political standing and economic policies, which most of its European neighbours have not adopted suitably. References Ewing, J. (September 16, 2013). Germany’s Political Fragmentation May Pose Challenge for Merkel. The New York Times.

Determine whether or not the affects of this new store will be a net Essay

Determine whether or not the affects of this new store will be a net positive for the area, or a net negetive - Essay Example (City of Kyle, 2011) There has been some research and discussion at the city council meeting over the proposed construction of a new Wal Mart Super Center. There are no big box stores in Kyle, therefore the addition of a Wal Mart would employ 200 people; as well as make shopping for both food and necessities much more convenient for the residents. There are several problems with this, however; Wal Mart tends to have a negative affect on wages, the economy, and the environment. Its business practices are questionable, placing employees and the city at risk. Wal Mart is noted for predatory pricing, low wage jobs that offer very limited benefits, and for receiving public subsidies. It destroys the environment and creates more urban sprawl. (Moberg, 2004) (Norman, 1999) Wal-Mart courts those at poverty level declaring itself to be the â€Å"low price leader†. However, the low prices extend across the board to include low wages and low quality products. Wal-Mart is known for market ing practices aimed at minority ethnic groups and low income individuals. Not only are the wages rock bottom, but also the employment practices are questionable. ... Wal-Mart workers are subject to long hours, few breaks, and often precarious working conditions that eventually result in ER visits or hospitalizations. With no health care benefits, the cost of health care rises for any area where there is a Wal-Mart, with the townspeople paying the cost through taxation to cover indigent care. (Chaddha, 2007) Wal-Mart is also known for supporting racist views; Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta was chosen as the spokesperson for the Working Families for Wal-Mart and issued some racist comments regarding how smaller independent businesses were Jewish owned and raised the prices to cheat the people while Wal-Mart gave everyone low prices; Wal-Mart eventually dismissed him in order to avoid a major lawsuit. Wal-Mart’s foreign operations exploits workers by forcing them to work long hours with no breaks, failure to provide safety equipment for work, beating uncooperative employees, and forcing them to work in unsafe conditions. It violates ch ild labor laws by working underage teenagers long hours without breaks. It knowingly hires illegal aliens for construction of Wal-Mart facilities across the nation. One way Wal-Mart had forced full-time workers to become part-time thereby losing their limited benefits is to require employees to rotate shift work so that they don’t have a regular schedule in order to attend classes or make leisure plans; this adds tremendously to the work stress. Managers are forced to work overtime with no extra pay; their positions are salaried, whereas the other workers are forced to clock out and continue working until their workload has been accomplished. Wal-Mart employees in dangerous neighborhoods are often locked in at night. (Workplacefairness.org, 2011) Wal-Mart effects the economy by outsourcing

Winter dreams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Winter dreams - Essay Example During winter time, at the end of the year everyone makes himself a survey and sees what was wrong and right, and what he would have wanted to live or to have. Now the most interesting and unexpected dreams are born.Winter dreams differs from person to person, in accordance with the person's age, character, social and financial condition, religion and country. All these factors influence and shape a person's dreams because we refer to the ones around us and our needs.Winter dreams was a theme often used by the writers, poets or it was used in many magazines. Maybe people were inspired reading the novels, short stories, articles on this topic, but the truth is the exchange is reversed: in all these pieces of paper exist a bit of our soul.and writers wanted to take part in these dreams. Charles Dickens did this too and his contribution was greater than the other writers because his message moved many and succeeded to change something in the mentality of his age. "A Christmas Carol" was a novel about the holiest period of year and was considered a book which wanted to resurge the spirit of Christmas and which offered a brand new image to its values: kindness, cadge, forgiveness. This redefinition came in a decline period of this holiday. Thus, the book may be considered as an accomplished winter dream.Dickens organizes the structure of the novel in a certain way, hoping that the readers will see that winter dreams have changed the main character in the end, have made him a better person. The point of view is that of the main character, but this overlaps with the others. The author presents the story at third person singular, seeming that we are told an objective story, but through this technique the author gives the readers the possibility to see facts in their own opinion. Winter dreams and all those charity deeds are seen by the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge , with irony, but in fact he is the one chaffed. So, the readers can realize that Ebenezer's type of behavior regarding Christmas and winter dreams is not appropriate, and that those poor people he detests, will help him in the end to change. Ebenezer Scrooge is a greed selfish business man . In the beginning of the novel it can be said that he doesn't know the notion of dream(maybe only the proper meaning), but gradually it can be discovered that this term existed in his mind and soul but was repressed many years ago. This character is in fact a symbol for all those who want to minimize holidays and even life, shortening it to the financial prosperity. The first lines of the novel talk about the death of Jacob Marley, a good friend of Scrooge seven years ago . Then the action moves in the business man's office during the winter holidays. Charles Dickens does not aleatory use this number. Seven in Hebrew means to be complete , and it is associated with God, with the spiritual perfection1. In Bible and in different writings this number is used very often. If seven means a completed cycle it may emphasize a new beginning. So, Scrooge was doomed to this behavior seven years , but now a new chance was given to him. This symbol may be seen as a part of winter dreams , because we tend to think of God and the holy things during Christmas time. Scrooge is visited by three ghosts in Christmas Eve and this is the event that will make him change forever. Ghosts are an often used motif in winter writings because this period is considered to be the bridge moment between the two worlds: of livings and of deaths. The number of spirits, three , is full of meaning again: three represents what is solid, real, complete . God has three main characteristics: omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. This can