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The Pro's and Con's and Ethical Considerations 1604
Wal-Mart is consistently targeted and highlighted in the news for critical reflection. Many criticisms are levied at the company for various causes including alleged employee abuse and inadequate support for employees. Others consider Wal-Mart a "mixed" blessing, suggesting that the company is a major employer providing ample jobs to thousands of people. Still others complain that Wal-Mart ultimately has led to the destruction of thousands of mom and pop shops that previously existed as the backbones of many communities. The aggressive pricing policies initiated by Wal-Mart are certainly cause for concern. Wal-Mart officials however would argue that their policies are simply a tool they use to conduct efficient business transactions. The company often argues it finds non-value added activity and work to pass savings on to consumers. Some even consider Wal-Mart "capitalism at its finest" funding a way to excel in unlikely places, as is the case with China, where Wal-Mart has been named
Analyze Movement in Pictures 370
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the art "Falling Shoestring Potatoes" by Claes Oldenburg, and "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. Specifically it will talk about movement in the two paintings, including which painting has more. Both of these pieces of art show movement, they just do it differently. They are trying to get different responses from the people looking at them, and they both do that very well. Trying to compare these two pieces of art is kind of like trying to compare apples and oranges, because th
Reminiscing Of Leaving Cuba 635
Nothing in my life so far can ever be compared with the powerful and life-changing experience of my entry into the United States. This is a country I have come to love and respect and has now been my home for last eleven years but it is not my native land. I was born in Cuba and eleven years ago some people of our family who were in the US at the time arranged for our migration. Cuba was not a bad place and since I grew up there, part of me will always love Cuba but when we moved from there, political and social conditions were not very favorable. The political climate in Cuba has always been rather troubled and our financial situation was not good either. At that time, some members of our extended family had already made their move to the United States and we heard that for some of them, it had been a very positive experience. America was the land of opportunities for people like us who wanted a better future for themselves. So naturally
The Code of Kings 3070
Introduction Records say that the death penalty was created or established by the ancient laws of China and imposed by the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon for 25 crimes, but which excluded murder (Burns 2005). The first recorded death sentence was rendered in Egypt in the 16th century on a noble, who was accused of practicing magic and ordered to take his own life. Non-nobles were executed usually with the use of an ax. Legal executions first entered America in 1776 when British soldiers hung a suspected spy, Nathan Hale, during the Revolutionary War. The first to be executed in the electric chair was William Kemmler, who was convicted for ax murder in New York on August 6, 1890. The citizens of Tazewell County, Illinois in 1869 imposed their own justice on four brothers who terrorized them by lynching one of these men. The US Supreme Court in 1972 ruled that state executions were unconstitutional, but legislators lifted the ban on capital punishment in 1976. It ranked with Chi
Analysis on Dante's and His '' Inferno" 2093
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. Specifically it will contain a brief history of Dante and the book, and explain how Dante and his work have influenced society. The "Inferno" may be the most famous of the three books that make up this author's "Divine Comedy." This tale tracks Dante's journey through Hell, the first part of his journey to find God. He begins at the bottom in sin (Purgatory or the Inferno, and claws his way to the top, where his lovely Beatrice awaits him in Paradise. Just as in real life, Dante must confront many difficulties in order to leave the pits of Hell and rise to the heights of Heaven. The story has a common theme, but that does not begin to illustrate how influential and important the epic poem has become to society. Dante's word still influence society, religion, and culture, and reach out to generations of new readers each year. Dante influenced political and religious thought, li
'The Religion of Buddhism' 1619
It is said that the Buddha was a prince of the Sakya tribe of Nepal who was born as Siddhartha Gautama around 556 B.C. (Buddhism). When he was around twenty-nine years of age, he left home to seek the meaning of suffering through yogic training, but after six years he abandoned the way of "self-mortification" and sat in "mindful meditation" under a bodhi tree (Buddhism). According to legend, one full moon in May, with the rising of the morning star, Siddhartha became the Buddha, the enlightened one (Buddhism). For more than forty-five years, the Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern India teaching the path or Dharma, during which time a community or Sangha of monks and nuns developed, who came from every tribe and caste, each devoted to practicing the path (Buddhism). When the Buddha died around 486 B.C. at the age of eighty, it is said that his last words were: "Impermanent are all created things; Strive on with awareness" (Buddhism). After the Buddha's death, some five hun
The Milestone Stage On Political and Economic Trends in Brazil 2113
The election of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2002 elections in Brazil has been described as a "milestone," a starting point for secured democratic rule in the nation (Amann 14). Such democratic steps have been important in the establishment of economic norms and practices for the country; the more socialist models of state-run industry have been rejected, and significant international debt has been incurred to address the social ills facing the country. In the wake of other Latin American economic crises, the Brazilian economic situation becomes even more important; additionally, the size and growth of the Brazilian market has come to bear significantly on the world's economy. This paper will address the current political situation and economic trends in Brazil through the lens of the allocation of resources in both the public and private sectors. Additionally, the roles of government regulation (or a lack thereof) in each sector will be examined from an economic pe
The Russian Crime 681
Observers of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union have noticed a variety of problems, in particular the development of violence tied to corruption. The reason for this turn of events lies in the longer history of Russia. Any solution will have to have a strong impact on the everyday life of Russian citizens, which will require a fundamental shift in the nature of the relationship between the average Russian citizen and Russian government. When the U.S.S.R. broke apart and Russia embraced democracy over communism, some Western observers imagined that the new Russia would become a democratic society in the way that the United States and Great Britain, to give two examples, are democratic societies. In those two countries, individuals can act politically at a local level, for instance by voting in local, regional and national elections, organize into groups with other like-minded individuals, and cause change in their government and in the rules that govern their everyday lives. People in these and simi
Classical Vs. Contemporary Perceptions of Corruption 1171
Classical Conceptions of Corruption vs. Modern Corruption has traditionally been defined as any practice that promotes self interest over the interests and well being of the public or community at large. Historically corruption has existed in the form of political abuse or deceit to facilitate the interests of the person over the public. The corrupt practices of early Stuart England have often been compared with contemporary views on corruption within government and politics. This paper will address broadly the notion of corruption with particular emphasis on the transition from classical to contemporary analysis and attention to the forces and trends most likely to influence society's notions of corruption today. Classical Vs. Contemporary Perceptions of Corruption As Peck (1993) points out contemporary theorists often describe political corruption using the same metaphor as classical theorists. Classical definitions of corruption often entailed descriptions or corrupted publi
Bibliography of James Hutton 1711
James Hutton, sometimes called the father of modern geology, did not set out to be a scientist. Hutton was the son of Edinburgh's city treasurer, William Hutton and Sarah Balfour. (Aronson). William Hutton was a wealthy man, who was not only the city treasurer, but also owned two farms. (O'Connor and Robertson). When his father died when James was still a young child, his mother took over the supervision of his education. (Aronson). Sarah never remarried, but chose to raise James and his sisters as a single mother. At age 10, James entered Edinburgh High School, where he studied Latin, Greek, and mathematics. Hutton began his formal university education at 14, and was initially drawn to the study of chemistry and philosophy. (Aronson). Hutton completed his initial university education at 17. (O'Connor and Robertson). Hutton then studied medicine and chemistry at the Universities of Edinburgh, Paris, and Leiden, in the Netherlands. (Mathez). Hutton also tried an apprentic
The Methods of American Business in Early 20th Century 1909
Introduction-Business at the turn of the Century: A little more than a hundred years earlier, United States was an isolated country and the attitude kept developing during that period. The Senate did not want to ratify the Versailles Peace Treaty that ended the First World War and went to an extent that the country did not even join the League of Nations. Free migration into the country that existed earlier was stopped, business tariffs for imports were increased, and migration from Asia was practically stopped. Yet, the country had some special capabilities and one of that were the regularities in the modes of production in the country. The production in America made simpler and rougher goods, used much less of skilled labor since machines and organizations succeeded in taking over a lot of their responsibilities. (Delong 1997) Thus some methods of American business had been developed even before the start of the twentieth century and this may have given the country the lead. Ea
The Shortsightedness of Sparta 2155
Introduction. Although historians offer a panoply of possible reasons for the decline of Sparta, essentially its downfall was the result of one glaring fault. This fault, although it manifested in a number of disparate ways, could be summed up in one word: shortsightedness. This shortsightedness occurred in areas such as its attitudes, its failure to modify the rigid Lycurgan system, its tactical naivete, its failure to adapt when opponents began hiring mercenary armies, its wrongdoing, its lack of diplomacy and cooperation with its own allies. Although Sparta had great military strength, it dissipated the effect of that strength by obtusely refusing to consider anything outside its narrow field of vision. It was like a bulldog on a single-minded mission, resolutely forging ahead as though no one else mattered-not even its own allies. Ultimately, Sparta's incredible and overweening shortsightedness caused it to lose its hegemony and become demoted from a world-class reigning mili
The Short story "The Story of an Hour", By Kate Chopin 2227
In her short story "The Story of an Hour", Kate Chopin explores the idea of a married woman's being told and believing, for just an hour, that her husband has died. When the news of her husband's sudden death is broken to Mrs. Mallard, she is sad and shocked at first. However (and to her own surprise) Mrs. Mallard's grief does not last long. She soon starts to make plans for her own life, without her husband, and is surprisingly happy doing so. This story emphasizes that women were supposed to be happily married, but the responsibilities of marriage do not always make women happy. This story, especially the twist at the end when Mrs. Mallard dies instead of her husband, was very ironic and interesting. As Kate Chopin states, of Mrs. Mallard's initial reaction to the news of her husband's death: She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden wild
Treasures of the Malay Peninsula 759
Malaysia is generally regarded as one of the most successful examples of a non-Western country that has achieved a relatively smooth transition to modern economic system. The main reason for this is that Malaysia has substantial mines of primary resources that the nation has been able to export to industrialized countries. The Malay Peninsula has substantial deposits of tin. International demand for tin is high because of the demand for tin in such products as canned food. However, during the 1970s, the nation attempted to expand its range of exports and types of industrial development, mainly due to the economic concerns of a nation becoming overly dependant upon the export of primary, non-renewable resources. (Drabble, 2006) Environmental concerns were also a factor. Traditionally, tin was mined in Malaysia from ore deposits close to the surface. Difficulties with seasonal flooding limited the depth of mining, making concerns about the sustainability of the mining industry particularly of a concern. Also, because of the weather, the mining activity was seasonal. This made the employment of local workers unstable as w
The Working Girls 1505
Women are entering the labor market in greater numbers and are staying in it longer and for a larger proportion of their work lives (Looking 1996). When asked what they want, women respond in survey after survey" "pay equity," "better wages," or "more money" (Looking 1996). In other words, women believe they are not being paid what they are worth (Looking 1996). This is a common response up-and down the income spectrum, "women from the executive suite to the factory floor, from the office to the washroom," all feel that they are underpaid (Looking 1996). During the 1970's, women earned 59 percent of what men earned, and today they generally earn approximately 72 percent of what men earn (Looking 1996). However, although women's earnings have risen, about 3/5 of the narrowing of the gap is due to the fall in men's real earnings (Looking 1996). Moreover, the wage gap grows as women and men age, the gap is relatively small for young women and men, but thereafter men's wages increase
The Legality versus Ethics 319
The law is the law. This is what many says especially when legality and ethics conflict. In work environments, which can really be more suitable to consider as the priority and standard ruling? Is it the law or the ethical values that we adhere as humans? Basically, just the fact that we are humans, we sometimes think that ethical standards can be more consistent than what the law requires. This is because we believe that there is nothing more just than to provide
An Article, What is the problem about corruption? by Colin Leys 1048
In his article, "What is the problem about corruption?", Colin Leys describes a variety of factors that relate to corruption. The main features of his discussion revolves around the subjective views of corruption, and how these often result in global assumptions. One of these assumptions is that corruption necessarily and always has negative consequences for the public and all aspects of politics. When stating that "It is natural but wrong to assume that the results of corruption are always both bad and important" (222), Leys acknowledges that it is natural to view corruption and its consequences as always bad. It is entailed in the very definition of the word. In his article then he proceeds to explain the reasons for which corruption do not always have a bad or even important effect. Firstly, it is important to take into account the time and context from which the text was written - 1965. This is more than 30 years ago. Obviously, politics and society have changed signific
The Story of Young Jackson's Life 1711
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War: Volume I" by G.F.R. Henderson. Specifically it will contain a book report on the book and summarize the chapters. The author's thesis for this detailed biography is to write a thorough book on Jackson and his military prowess. The author acknowledges several biographies already existed when he wrote his book, but he had intimate knowledge of the battlefields and the war itself, and wanted to create a more complete account of what Jackson's participation meant to the Civil War. His book succeeds on this account. It is an intimate look into Jackson's life, but it also is a detailed account of his Civil War service and his great importance to the war movement.
Physical Tortures 2309
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of punishment. Specifically it will discuss the physical, emotional, and mental affects of each example. Many diverse and deviant forms of punishment and torture have used throughout the ages for intelligence, retribution, and even sexual pleasure. Pain, and the avoidance of pain, are two of the most motivating factors in human history. Most humans will do just about anything to avoid severe pain, and so, punishment and torture that mete out excruciating pain are incredibly effective in subjugating, humiliating, and ultimately breaking prisoners and suspects. And yet, pain can be pleasurable, too, and elicit sexual responses in some subjects. Each form of punishment elicits different responses and results in the individuals receiving and doling out the punishment. Forms of punishment that do not inflict permanent injury may not leave scars, but they are still effective ways to dominate, subjugate, and humi
The Theories of Meaning 5012
Today, the principles and the philosophies of cognition, meaning, and value have gained in importance, especially in relation to today's work environments. These principles are also manifested in the personal relationships that individuals follow today, and they may be effective in certain cases, and less effective in others. However, one must learn the actual significance of meaning and cognition and value before one can embark on an analysis of the terms and what they denote. Take meaning, for example. What exactly is meant by 'meaning'? Meaning can actually be borne by any object or a symbol or a sign, or through a dance, or though music, or through a drama or a ritual. In as much as any object can convey meaning and significance, it must be stated that material objects carry more meaning than others, like for example, they carry social and communicable meaning from one subject to another, and they are more interpersonal and observable than others. (Markovic, 1984) In general, on
Concepts and Phiosophies on Postmodernism 4525
What is meant by 'Postmodernism'? Modern thoughts and philosophies and concepts and ideals make up the era of postmodernism, and although there are people who doubt whether or not postmodernism may be the correct and appropriate term to be applied to what is happening in the world today, there can be no doubt at all that many things are indeed happening today, and the simple fact that most of these things are deep and far reaching cannot be denied. Therefore, what exactly is postmodernism? Is it a philosophical movement, something like existentialism, or is it an artistic movement, like impressionism or surrealism? Or is it a period in history, like for example, the Renaissance? (About Postmodernism, a Postmodern Essay) However, experts have not been able to accurately describe the term; while some individuals may believe that the term may describe wonderful opportunities in the world today, some others may be quite fearful of the term, because of its relative ambiguity and vaguene
The Power to Form Characters 3520
Back in 1966, John Lennon was pilloried viciously in this country for his, "we're more popular than Jesus now" remarks in an interview. He was not far wrong, of course, but could perhaps, have been more accurate if he had talked in general terms and referred to "rock music"1 as more popular than any religion among young people. Although rock music has not quite won recognition as a formal religion in the ensuing years, young people in the United States and most other parts of the world spend more time listening to2 and discussing rock music than to any religion or a religious figure, including Jesus. Since the time of the Beatles, it has influenced youth culture, fashion, attitudes, and even political views of young people in more profound ways than any political or religious figure could ever hope to equal. And in the first decade of the 21st century, more than 50 years after the phenomenon started, all indications are that "rock 'n' roll is here to stay." In this essay, I shall discu
The Constitution and It's Bill of Rights 1443
On the surface, Edwin Meese's "jurisprudence of original intention" remains loyal to the framers' intent, faithful to the fundamental principles upon which the nation was founded. A jurisprudence of original intention prevents Supreme Court justices from allowing their personal beliefs or political affiliations from impacting their judicial decisions. Furthermore, altering federal law every few generations would be detrimental, not conducive to democracy and so it is important not to be too liberal when interpreting the Constitution. In fact, the founding fathers built into the American electoral process mechanisms that curb fleeting passions: which is why the United States is a Republic and not a direct democracy. Strict ascription to the Constitution offers structure and order to what might otherwise become a chaotic and biased legal debate. Therefore, Meese's brand of "constitutional fidelity" is a romantic concept and makes logical and emotional sense. However, Justice William Bre
The Literacy Development For The Young Child 907
Observations of Family and Home Within this family environment there is a young child aged 3 years, a baby aged 1 year and a mother and father. The cultural background of the family is Asian. During the course of the day the parents read frequently to themselves, from magazines and daily newspapers. At times the child will ask to read a book to the family. The child then will either (1) attempt to read the book to a parent, (2) have a parent read to her or (3) "read" to her younger sibling. Reading is clearly an important part of this child's upbringing. During the course of the day the family will also watch TV together, listen to the radio, and shop together. All of these experiences provide ample opportunities for literacy development for the young child. Literacy is much more than reading; more and more educators and researchers are beginning to realize that early experiences including playing with other children, shopping and even changing the channel on the television provide
Issue of Police Brutality 964
A tremendous amount of recent public attention has focused on the issue of police brutality. Allegations of brutality frequently arise when police are required to use force against offenders. Whether or not the police are guilty of brutality depends upon a resolution of whether or not the force used by officers was excessive. While the answer to such a question would seem clear-cut, the fact is that law enforcement officers are presented with real-life situations, not text-book examples of criminal scenarios. Therefore, it is important to recall that many arrests and non-arrest situations require the use of force. In addition, the force necessary to effectuate an arrest or prevent criminal activity may be greater than could be determined by an observer, which indicates that the actual incidence of police brutality is lower than reported. Finally, the racial bias demonstrated in police brutality figures gives an inaccurate picture of racial discrimination by police officers. Ins
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