No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

No topic - Essay Example The terminals are strapped on as belt packs connected to a headset during voice operations, while also scanning bar codes and carrying out applications on the screen. Products are moved to carts from shelving and flow racks. There are about 20 totes in the carts that are utilized for the gathering of particular orders. The workers are guided to the specific location that the product is stored by the Jennifer system. The worker then communicates a check digit in order to confirm that this is the right location. The Jennifer system then advices the worker on the number of items to be picked and their specific loading tote position on the cart. This ensures picking accuracy that is accurate. The SI system provides software, which increases profitability, accuracy, and productivity via the optimization of distribution operations. It allows companies to maximize on efficiency for all the distribution centre’s picking systems. It does this via real time analysis of the storage and system for picking up in the building. It also determines each product’s proper technology and its optimal placing that will ensure the greatest productivity and efficiency. The system decreases walk time, eliminates bottlenecks, allows for increased labour effectiveness, and creates flexibility in operations and increases throughput. The slotting strategy reduces up to 50% of walk time, translating into increased savings on labour. DC Xcellerator is not only operated by a warehouse management system (Laudon & Carol 46). The system requires; the product information, the characteristics of the order, and the system for storage and picking available in the company building. A list is then generated that shows the moves to be made for slot products to reach the peak efficiency. A major advantage for the program is the minimal capital investment and dedication from the staff at the IT

Responses to Genocide: Political and Humanitarian Strategies

Responses to Genocide: Political and Humanitarian Strategies Political expediency and humanitarian imperatives in response to genocide   This dissertation examines the humanitarian crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur during 2003-2004, a situation that has continued through to 2005. Recent reports from the World Food Programme estimate that the violence carried out by the tacitly government-supported militias against the non-Arab civilian population in the region has left 3.5 million people hungry, 2.5 million displaced by the violence and 400, 000 dead.   The Darfur crisis has been a humanitarian disaster unseen since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It has been a situation that ultimately foreign governments and international organisations have been unable to ignore. Chapter two examines firstly the theoretical questions behind humanitarian intervention. The realist theory of international affairsis at the heart of the debate – realism suggests that states should puttheir own security and self interest before any moral obligation to intervene. Set in the context of Darfur, there was nothing within the individual national interest of other individual states to intervene, yet at some point in the crisis the common assumption moved towards afeeling that intervention on the basis of humanity was required.   The Rwandan genocide of 1994 and the international response at the time isused as an example of realism dictating the initial response of theinternational community, only to be overtaken by a more moral based response once the sheer scale of the crisis and human rights abuses became apparent. Chapter three looks at events in Darfur in detail, from the beginnings of the crisis to the current situation. Using media sourcesas well as reports from organisation such as the UN and Human Rights Watch, this chapter summarises the main events of the crisis, with examples of the indiscriminate violence used by the government-backed Janjaweed militias against the civilian population in Darfur. The response of the Sudanese government along with the steps it took to prevent humanitarian intervention are describes, as are the actions, or in many cases, the inaction of sections of the international community.  Ã‚   The actions of the Sudanese Government would appear to be driven by the state centric realism that Webber and Smith term â€Å"acentral driving force for human motivation, namely a quest for power† Chapter Four attempts to analyse events in Darfur against the theoretical frameworks detailed in chapter two. Realist assumptions continue to carry a certain weight in international politics, but there are examples of some more ethical policy making within the international community. The roles of the Sudanese Government, the UN, the US and other Western nations are looked at against theoretical positions. Chapter Five offers some conclusions on the internationalresponse to Darfur. At the heart of any analysis of the international response to thecrisis in Darfur lies the question why should anyone care about Darfur.Whilst theories supporting just wars and humanitarian intervention fromthe likes of Kaldor and Walzer argue that there is a basic humanmorality that requires states that are able to intervene to stop thesuffering of oppressed people, a realist perspective, one thatrepresented the initial international response to Darfur, is that thekey value of national interest is independence and security.   It is aquestion that has been at the crux of international relations forcenturies – intervention in the affairs of another sovereign state isan issue that has generated much debate. State sovereignty has long been a fundamental pillar of internationalsociety and non-intervention has ensured that individual states canmaintain their political independence and territorial integrity.International organisations have generally supported this principlewith, for example, Resolution 2131 of the UN General Assembly in 1965stating: â€Å"No state has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly in theinternal or external affairs of any other state. Consequently, armedintervention and all other forms of interference or attempted threatsagainst the personality of the State or against its political,economic, or cultural elements are condemned†. Regional organisationshave taken a similar stance – the Organisation of American Statestotally prohibits direct or indirect intervention in the affairs ofanother state. A wide range of political theory also supports the viewthat sovereignty is all-important and one state should not interfere inthe affairs of another. Nonetheless, international affairs since the establishment of thenation-state have seen intervention by states in the affairs of otherfor a number of reasons. The earliest interventions were for economicand strategic reasons and to secure territorial security – nineteenthcentury European interventions in Africa and Asia to establish coloniesserve as an example of this. In the early twentieth century the USbegan to utilise a different type of intervention, intervening in theaffairs of Central American states such as Nicaragua to encouragedomestic political order, reduce economic corruption and reinforce itsown influence in the region. Such action drew the attention of realistcritics who have influence US foreign policy thinking more recently.Realists have alleged that the adherence to moral principles and thefailure in the past to understand the â€Å"power essence† of interstaterelations has led to unwise and unsuccessful policies , for example tofailed humanitarian int ervention in Somalia. Certainly, the memories ofSomalia will have effected thinking on a political and humanitarianresponse to Darfur. The Cold War saw intervention across the globe by the two superpowerseither to enhance their own strategic security or to advanceideological goals, for example the USSR moving to strengthen communismin Czechoslovakia in 1968 or the US challenging anti-democratic forcesin Grenada in 1983. It is however, humanitarian intervention that is most relevant to thesituation in Darfur, an type of intervention that according to JackDonnelly is foreign intervention that seeks â€Å"to remedy mass andflagrant violations of the basic rights of foreign nationals by theirgovernment†Ã‚  Ã‚   The failure of states and subsequent abuses of humanrights in the latter stages of the twentieth century have presentedother governments with numerous scenarios where they have to makedecisions as to whether military intervention for humanitarian reasonsis justified. It is a complex issue that poses a number of legal andmoral issues. Amstutz argues that humanitarian intervention presents a legalchallenge to the accepted systems of state sovereignty along with amoral challenge to the right of self-determination. Whilst the demandfor order, justice, stability and human rights may override theseconcerns, politicians are also faced with the decision as to whether,how and when their country should instigate humanitarian intervention.Such interventions can generally be justified if two criteria are met:firstly that humanitarian intervention be in the interests of theintervening state, i.e. that it perceives the human rights abuses inthe foreign state as a general threat to the order, legitimacy andmorality of global society, or as a particular threat to its owneconomic prosperity; secondly that the intervention must be in theinterests of the civilian population of the intervened state and thatthe legal and moral issues around military intervention can bejustified by the overall good that is accomplished. NATO intervent ionin Bosnia can be seen as an example of a situation that met the formercriteria, the situationsin both Rwanda and Darfur would appear to meetthe latter. Michael Walzer who has written extensively on just war theory andintervention argues that humanitarian intervention should be seen asdifferent from instigating a military conflict. As well as the legalistargument against intervention in the affairs of another state, there isalso the difficulty of intervention in a country that has not committedaggression against another state – there is a danger that interveningstates can be seen as portraying the message treat your people the waywe believe you should or be subject to the threat of armed punishment.Walzer nonetheless believes that even if intervention threatens theterritory and political independence of another state, there are timeswhen it can be justified. The onus of proof of justification howeverlies with the leader of the state that intervenes and this can be aheavy burden, â€Å"not only because of the coercions and ravages thatmilitary intervention brings, but also because it is thought that thecitizens of a sovereign state have a right, insofar as they are to becoerced and ravaged at all, to suffer only at one another’s hands†. Arguments that states should, regardless of how they are governed,should be left to deal with own affairs and influenced by the thoughtsof John Stuart Mill who argued from a utilitarian viewpoint stronglyfor the right of a single political community to determine its ownaffairs – whether or not its political arrangements are free is not anissue for other states – members of any political society mustcultivate their own freedom in the way that individuals must cultivatetheir own virtue, self-help rather than intervention from an externalforce must be the way towards a just society. Such arguments do notstand up when applied to some of the systematic and well-documentedhuman rights abuses of the twentieth century – foreign governments makedecisions based on a realist perspective not to intervene, butnon-intervention based on the idea of self-determination is to avoidthe issue and hide behind outdated ideas. There is a point at whichrealism has to be put aside and so me form of moral stance must betaken. For Walzer, there are three situations in which theinternational resistance to boundary crossings can be ignored: 1.  when a particular set of boundaries clearly contains two or morepolitical communities, one of which is already engaged in a large-scalemilitary struggle for independence; that is, when what is at issue issecession or ‘national liberation’ 2.  when the boundaries have already been crossed by the armies of aforeign power, even if the crossing has been called for by one of theparties in a civil war, that is, when what is at issue iscounter-intervention; and 3.  when the violation of human rights within a set of boundaries is soterrible that it makes talk of community or self-determination or‘arduous struggle’ seem cynical or irrelevant, that is, in cases onenslavement or massacre His criteria present a realistic scope for intervention. For all theideas of ethical foreign policies there has to be some realism ininternational relations in that states cannot simply intervene in everydispute between neighbours or outbreaks of political unrest in otherstates. Walzer’s criteria, particular his third, limit interventionwhen serious abuses of human rights appear to be taking place. At thispoint, political expediency and national self-interest should be putaside. Ultimately, Walzer’s thinking lead him towards an ethical theory ofpeace on the basis of sovereignty and other widely accepted states’rights. His values form the basis of a legalist paradigm, which providethe moral and legal structure for maintaining international peace. Hislegal paradigm also outlines the criteria for use of force tointervene. Its six key principles are: 1.  An international society of independent states exists; 2.  The states comprising the international society have rights,including the rights of territorial integrity and political sovereignty; 3.  The use of force or threat of force by one state against another constitutes aggression and is a criminal act; 4.  Aggression justifies two types of action: a war of self-defence bythe victim and a war of law enforcement by the victim and any othermembers of the international society; 5.  Nothing but aggression justifies war 6.  After the aggressor state has been militarily repulsed, it can be punished. Irrespective of the situation in a particular state and the legal ormoral issues around any form of intervention, the realist view ofinternational affairs can lead statesmen to decide againstintervention. Realists from Thucydides, Hobbes and Machiavelli throughto the likes of Kissinger and Waltz remain strictly sceptical aboutmoral concepts within international relations and assume that statesgoing to war or engaging in any form of intervention are more motivatedby power and their own national security than any moral issues. Thephrase â€Å"all’s fair in love and war† is often applied to the realistperspective with Walzer writing â€Å"referring specifically to war,realists believe that it is an intractable part of an anarchical worldsystem, that it ought to be resorted to only if it makes sense in termsof national self-interest†Ã‚   – in effect there are no moralconsideration in regard to military intervention, the human rightsabuses occurring in another state are of little importance to realists,intervention will only be considered if it is considered to beeconomically or strategically of value to the intervening state or itsleaders. This value can be political on occasions. There is littledoubt of the power of modern media to put pressure on politicians. TheUS intervention in Somalia and NATO action in Bosnia were to someextent related to public pressure on politicians to do something aboutscenes being broadcast into the homes of the electorate. Thinking on humanitarian intervention has had to adapt more recently tothe new type of wars that have proliferated across the globe since theend of the Cold War, for example the conflicts in the former Yugoslaviadriven by ancient ethnic hatreds. Certainly with the demise of thestand off between two military superpowers there has been greater scopefor the UN and individual states to become involved in conflictresolution and throughout the 1990s the UN has found itself constantlyinvolved in providing humanitarian aid, establishing safe havens,disarmament and demobilisation operations, monitoring and maintainingceasefires. New wars have involved a blurring of the distinction between war(usually defined as violence between states or organised politicalgroups), organised crime (violence undertaken by privately organisedgroups for private purposes, usually financial gain) and large-scaleviolations of human rights (violence undertaken by states orpolitically organised groups against individual).   Some of the ethnichatred that has fuelled new wars has in particular led to terriblehuman rights abuses; events that put moral pressure on others states toconsider intervention. Mary Kaldor suggests that there are two types ofresponse to new wars – one is to draw on the old war idea of the nationstate and look for solutions along the lines of intervention and peacekeeping whilst the other response is a more negative and fatalisticoutlook: â€Å"because the wars cannot be understood in traditional terms,they are thought to represent a reversion to primitivism or anarchy andthe most that can be done there fore is to ameliorate the symptoms. Inother words, wars are treated as natural disasters.† Kaldor’s view rightly challenge the realist assumption that statesshould not involve themselves in humanitarian intervention unless thereis some advantage to be gained in a self-interested pursuit of power.What is required is a more political response to new wars and theattacks on human rights that accompany them. The internationalcommunity should be looking towards politics of inclusion that capturethe hearts and minds of protagonists and any such politicalmobilisation should override traditional geopolitics or short termdomestic concerns. This type of thinking moves closer to a type ofneo-realism which places more of an emphasis on the structural featuresof the international system and avoids the stress on the often anarchicstriving for power that reflects traditional realism.   The drawback tothe neo realist approach is that its reliance on the determining impactof the structure of the international system allow policy makersrelatively little discretion. This can be seen to some extent in Darfuras representative from various states struggled to find a solution tothe crisis that met with consensus. There have of course been embarrassments for individual states andinternational organisations with attempts at humanitarian interventionin the 1990s, setbacks that will give weight to realist theory thatsovereign states should on the whole be left well alone. Kaldorconcludes that humanitarian intervention has had mixed success: â€Å"at best, people have been fed and fragile ceasefires have beenagreed†¦.at worst the UN has been shamed and humiliated, as, forexample, when it failed to prevent genocide in Rwanda, when theso-called safe haven of Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serbs, orwhen the hunt for the Somali warlord Aideed ended in a mixture of farceand tragedy†. Nonetheless, the arguments for humanitarian intervention remain strong.Darfur is as good an example as any for this. As Orend writes â€Å"whyshould foreign states, which themselves respect human rights, be barredin principle from intervening in such illegitimate regimes?†Ã‚   Rwanda in particular serves as an example of both foreign states andinternational organisations initially taking a realist stance only toeventually to be spurred into action by the sheer scale of the genocidetaking place. In France’s case, the links between the powerful elitesin the two countries had long been established – not only had Francelong supported the Hutu regime but Francois Mitterand and RwandanPresident Habyarimana were personal friends, whilst their sons, JeanChristopher and Jean-Pierre were also friends and business associates.The two countries had mutual economic interests and there is evidencethat Jean Christopher was one of France’s biggest arms dealers to Rwanda. The French response to the developing crisis, when it came, was farfrom glorious. Rather than intervene to provide further killings itdecided to pull out its troops. In the previous week, the first of thegenocide they had evacuated as many as 1361 people including 450 Frenchnationals and 178 Rwandan officials and their families. No otherRwandan nationals were evacuated, not even Tutsi personnel from theFrench embassy or well-known opponents of the regime who had alreadybeen targeted by the militia.   The role of the United Nations mission (UNAMIR) has receivedconsiderable criticism in analyses of the genocide. The UN had its owninternal politics to contend with and its policies on Rwanda were inturn determined to some extent by realist self-interest. As anorganisation it was largely reliant on the support of its most powerfulmembers on the Security Council. These nations, mindful of thedisastrous US intervention in Somalia were wary of investing troops andfinances into another African conflict. Realism came to the forefrontof the early decision making process. Human Rights Watch, in additionto criticism of the UN for not taking heed of Dallaire’s warnings, isalso critical of the scale of the mandate itself.   It describes thedetails of the mandate as follows: â€Å"Not only was the UN slow, it was also stingy. The United States, whichwas assessed 31 per cent of UN peacekeeping costs, had suffered fromthe enormous 370 per cent increase in peacekeeping expenses from 1992to 1993 and was in the process of reviewing its policy on such operations. Quite simply the UN was not equipped to keep the peace in Rwanda.Members on its influential Security Council did not have the politicalwill to get involved, nor were they willing to take on the financialburden. The US and the UK, although less involved in Rwanda thanFrance, were similarly guilty of happily ignoring warnings of possiblegenocide and working towards the maintenance of the status quo. Bothhad sold arms to the Hutu regime and had trading links with Rwanda.Both also had little desire to see their own troops caught up as partof an UN force in Rwanda. The theory of non-intervention, as opposed torealism is another view that opposes humanitarian intervention. The keyassumptions and values for this concept are †¢Ã‚  the existing anarchic international system is morally legitimate †¢Ã‚  peoples have a right to political self-determination †¢Ã‚  states have a juridical right to sovereignty and territorial integrity †¢Ã‚  states have an obligation to resolve conflicts peacefully †¢Ã‚  force is a illegitimate instrument for altering the existing territorial boundaries Non –intervention theory argues in favour of an internationallegitimacy of states in which existing states are entitled to autonomyand domestic legitimacy which assumes that states are entitled torespect and support when they fulfil their core obligations as states.In terms of domestic legitimacy, in the light of the fact that thereare wide disparities in conceptions of human rights, this canessentially be interpreted that whether a state is entitled tonon-intervention depends largely on its subject’s approval of theregime itself. The counter-arguments of realism and moral intervention continue toplay a major role in international politics and are likely to continueto do so. It is a sad fact that the list of oppressive governments andmassacred populations is lengthy. Walzer points out that for every Naziholocaust or Rwanda there will be a number of smaller examples ofinjustice and abuse – so many that the international community cannothope to deal with. On a small scale at least, Walzer’s suggestion thatâ€Å"states don’t send their soldiers into other states, it seems, only tosave lives. The lives of foreigners don’t weigh that heavily in thescales of domestic decision-making†Ã‚   rings true – humanitarianintervention in smaller-scale situations is simply not realistic. Agreater test for the moral resolve of NGOs and wealthier nations istheir response in the face of large-scale humanitarian disasters andhuman rights abuses, again using Walzer’s words, when deal ing with actsâ€Å"that shock the moral conscience of mankind†. Ethical questions around the issues of international moral obligationstowards nations suffering from oppressive regimes and human rightsabuses are not easily resolved. Whilst humanitarian aid or interventionis generally seen as a morally correct route of action, politicalexpediency quite often takes precedence. Whilst it is generallyaccepted that, as Grotius believed, war ought not to be undertakenexcept for the enforcement of right and   when once undertaken it shouldbe carried on   within the bounds of law and good faith,  Ã‚   national selfinterest does not always allow for a strategy led by such moralincentives. In Darfur, the action of the Khartoum Government couldcertainly not be described as driven by moral incentives whilstelsewhere early responses to the crisis were driven by politicalexpediency   Major states have to ask themselves which moral valuesshould influence their foreign policies and which international valueis more important – sovereignty or human r ights? The answer should behuman rights, yet there is a fine line between using these values froma moral perspective or manipulating them into a realist opportunity toindulge the national interest with intervention elsewhere. There areother difficult questions – do human rights violations justify foreignintervention and at what scale?   Does international political moralityrequire the removal of illegal military regimes and the restoration ofdemocracy?   There are countless regimes around the world to which theworld might turn its attention and ask itself these questions. For themost part, small conflicts and small-scale abuse of human rights are,rightly or wrongly, ignored. The situation in Darfur from 2003 onwardshowever gave the international community a scenario that it could notignore. The world had to make decisions upon hundreds of thousands oflives would rest. Chapter Three – The crisis in Darfur The current situation in Darfur can be traced back to February 2003when fighters from the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and theJustice and Equality Movement (JEM) launched joints attacks againstgovernment garrisons in protest at what they saw as decades ofpolitical oppression and economic neglect by the Sudanese government.The attacks came at the same time that there had been high hopes of apeace settlement to the war in southern Sudan that had been ongoingbetween the government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army(SPLM/A) since independence in 1965. The government’s response was unequivocal. Citing the rebels as anaggressive force against the state it set out to crush the rebellion byforce and utilised the powerful force of Arab Janjaweed militias toattack not particularly rebel soldiers but the civilian populationsfrom where the rebels would have originated.   The government expectedto crush the revolt, partly as it had done so in 1991 when a SPLA unitinfiltrated Darfur, and partly as it expected a lack on internationalinterest as Darfur was an internal Northern Sudanese issue with noChristian population and no oil interests involved. Khartoum –ledmilitary activity in late 2003 to early 2004 was brutal (â€Å"acounter-insurgency of extraordinary ferocity†)   and carried out whilstthe government prevented any humanitarian aid reaching the civilianpopulation. It was an action led by political expediency withabsolutely no regard for the human rights of an innocent civilianpopulation. Hugo Slim describes th e military action as completelydisproportionate to the targeted guerrilla warfare of the two Darfurinsurgent groups and states that â€Å"systematic and widespread governmentand Janjaweed assaults on civilians, their villages, theirinfrastructure and their livelihoods along with forced displacement andland-grabbing, intended to make it impossible for the terrorised andevicted populations to return. As this went on, the Government alsoenforced what was almost a complete ban on humanitarian aid accessingthe country between October 2003 and February 2004. Early talks on the crisis saw the Khartoum Government deliberatelystonewall on major issues. It objected to upgrading the small AUobserver force from 300 to 3500,with an increase in its mandate toinclude protecting civilians, and was then forced to accept thismeasure by the UN Security Council. It was a realist approach – lookingsolely after its own interests and using delay in an internationalresponse to move along with its aim to displace the population ofDrafur. Government and Janjaweed Cooperation There is little realdoubt that the government has worked closely with the Janjaweedmilitias. Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigations concluded thatgovernment forces and militia troops have taken part in massacres andsummary executions of civilians, burnings of towns and villages andforcible depopulation of areas across Darfur. †We are the government†has been a common response of Janjaweed at checkpoints and whenentering villages and HRW reports that â€Å"the government and itsJanjaweed allies have killed thousands of Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa –often in cold blood, raped women and destroyed villages, food stocksand other supplies essential to the civilian population.†. In the early stages of the conflict, the Sudanese government barelyattempted to conceal its close working with the Janjaweed. Mans writesthat â€Å"the Janjaweed militias are said to be of largely Chadian originand finance themselves through plunder and pillage, reportedly enjoyingimplicit support from the Government in Khartoum.† But this isunderstating the relationship between the two. In April 2004, theSudanese Foreign Minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail, admitted a commoncause with the Janjaweed stating â€Å"the government may have turned ablind eye to the militias†¦This is true. Because these militia aretargeting the rebellion.†Ã‚   President Bashir also had spoken on 31December 2003 of the government’s determination to defeat the SLArebellions and warned darkly that â€Å"the horsemen† would be one of theweapons it would use. There is other clear evidence of well established links between thegovernment and Janjaweed leaders. Many of the militia leaders areestablished emirs or omdas from Arab tribes who have previously workedin government. For example, Abdullah abu Shineibat, an emir of the BeniHalba tribe is a Janjaweed leader in the Habila-Murnei area, whilstOmar Saef, an omda of the Awlad Zeid tribe is leader of the Janjaweedfrom Geineina to Misterei. Other evidence pointed to a similarconclusion of complicity between government and militia: Janjaweedbrigades were organised along army lines with forces wearing similaruniforms and officers using the same stripes; militia forces used thesame land cruisers and satellite phones as army personnel and there isevidence that Janjaweed members were given assurances that they wouldnot face local prosecution for crimes, with police forces beinginstructed to leave them alone.   Again, the prevailing issue here ispolitical expediency overcoming any possible humani tarian response.Both the Government and Janjaweed had interests in devastating Darfur –there was political gain for the Government and financial gain for theJanjaweed. Both took the realist option of looking after themselves. Government and Militia forces attack civilians One of the mostnotable traits of the crisis in Darfur has been the fact that bothgovernment and militia forces have largely ignored rebel forces,preferring to use their weapons against the civilian population inareas that rebels may have originated from. HRW investigationsuncovered 14 incidents in Dar Masalit alone between September 2003 andFebruary 2004 in which 770 civilians were killed. It also gatheredwitness testimony to mass executions in the Fur areas of Wadi Salihprovince over the same period.   Aerial bombardment of civilians has also been commonplace. The SudaneseGovernment has made extensive use of attack aircraft, dropping bombsloaded with metal shards to cause maximum injury and also utilisinghelicopter gun ships and MiG jet fighters. Bombing has also beendeliberately targeted at villages and towns where displaced citizenshave gathered – for example on August 27 2003, aircraft carried out anattack on the town of Habila which was packed with displaced civiliansfrom surrounding areas. 24 were killed. Government and Janjaweed forces have also systematically attacked anddestroyed villages, food stocks, water sources and other essentialitems essential for the survival of villages in West Darfur. Refugeesin Chad have confirmed a sweep south east of Geneeina in February 2004saw the destruction of a number of villages including Nouri, Chakoke,Urbe, Jabun and Jedida. The International Response The international response to the situation in Darfur has been mixed,characterised by a willingness to condemn the Sudanese Governmentalongside a dragging of heels in actually intervening to stop what theUS Government has labelled genocide. Alex De Waal suggests thatpolitical repercussions for the Sudanese Government were gravewriting:   â€Å"International attention and condemnation exceeded allexpectations, culminating in Darfur being brought before the UnitedNations Security Council in July 2004† This analysis however fails tomention the scale of the crisis in the preceding months and suggests amore positive and effective response by the international communitythan was actually the case.. The international community may eventuallyhave come around to taking Darfur seriously – but much later than wasrequired. As Hugo Slim concludes: â€Å"the international community has notdenied, but it has delayed and dithered. Once engaged it fumbled andtook far too long to achie ve a united and sufficiently assertiveresponse.†Ã‚   There was a notable reluctance from the UN in particular to use theword genocide in relation to Darfur, a similar pattern to that had beenfollowed in Rwanda a decade earlier. It was in fact US Secretary ofState Powell that announced on September 9th 2004 that the USgo

Essay --

Dalton 1 Prairie Dalton Sherry Prewitt ELA Period 2 2/25/14 The 1960’s were a time of freedom and revolution for the United States. The decade brought along a changed world and a transformed culture. The 60’s hosted an influential series of events that opened many doors in politics, war, and pop culture that would continue to have an impact for many years to come. The beginning of the 60’s marked a point in time when the children of the post World War II baby boom became teenagers and young adults. This collective youth wanted change for the world in which they were growing up. These changes affected education, values, lifestyle, and laws as well as many other things. The surge of youth caused the conservative way of the previous decade to sway to a more liberal path. People learned that politics could be affected through peaceful demonstrations and protests. This change in thinking affected many things during that time, and still has an effect today. (Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley.) The 60’s were an especially big year for politics. With the beginning of the decade came the inauguration of charismatic, young J.F.K. The president wanted to get the country moving again, after the effects of the previous war. Kennedy made promises of keeping the United States ahead of the Dalton 2 Soviet Union in the Space Race and Cold War. The nation was on the brink of a new political era. Once elected, winning against Richard Nixon by a landslide, he raised minimum wage, set up peace corps and heavily supported the coming civil rights movement. (â€Å"Politics: Power to The People†). Problems such as racial justice and gender equality h... ...l-known english model of the time, popularized short hair as well as different makeup styles, including nude lips and large false eyelashes. Men’s styles included bright, colorful patterns and fabrics that contrasted the pastels that were in style for women. Suits included frills and cravats, wide ties, crazy prints and leather. (â€Å"Fashion in The 1960’s†) Longer hair was also becoming more acceptable for men after The Beatles became popular, influencing â€Å"mop-top† styles and shaggier hair. Towards the end of the decade, the androgynous hippie style emerged. It included flared bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts, headbands and sandals. After ten years, the decade finally came to a close. Changes in politics, war and pop culture opened many doors for coming decades. Events in these areas were not only impacted the 60’s, but impacted more in many ways for years to come.

Christian Ethics Are Too Rigid for Moral Decision Making

It can be argued, that when referring to the Bible, teachings within it are too rigid for moral decision making. There are many reasons for this, some which are very evident, particularly when looking at certain teachings. On the other hand, some argue that most religious ethics are the right way to approach moral decision making as these contain the teachings and word of God so must be correct. Some of St. Paul’s teachings are heavily criticised for being too rigid.For example if a Christian were to be offered a promotion in a career, but it meant that they were to take someone else’s job and leave them without one, such teachings as, â€Å"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you. ‘† (Heb. 13:5). See also: 1 Tim. 6:9-11, would not help in this situation. This is discouraging an individual for taking that particular thing away from another even if it were to mean that they were happier as a result.Therefore there is no flexibility about this, and the decision would be made to reject the offer of the career as one should not be jealous or want what another has. On the other hand, many argue that St. Paul’s teachings are rigid and can be seen from many different angles. For example the teaching, â€Å"But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased† (Heb. 13:16) can be applied to many situations when making moral decisions, as it is very broad and not specific. Therefore the teaching is flexible enough to be applied to almost every situation.However it could be argued that teachings such as this are not specific enough to give strong guidance in a moral decision, particularly those which are life changing. Fundamentalist Christians would agree that St. Paul’s teachings are not too rigid as they believe that we should abide by the exact word of the Bible, as this is God’s word and not try to attempt to alter them in any way. When studying the Ten Commandments, many believe that these cannot be applied literally to every situation as there are different approaches that can be taken.For example commandment number four, ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’ cannot be applied to the modern day as many people now work on a Sunday but still worship the Lord. Even Jesus Christ worked on a Sunday and was told not to when he was healing others. Even though he was acting out of love, this was still seen as work and was therefore against the word of God. Liberal Christians would agree that the Ten Commandments are too rigid to be used for moral decision making as different situations. For instance commandment six, ‘You shall not murder’ could be arguable.This is because if a girl was being raped and in self-defence killed the rapist, could it not be argued that this is justifying right? Due the fact that the murder was only a result of the sin that the rapist committed to begin with. Fundamentalist Christians would not agree with this, as they believe that the Ten Commandments are rules to be abided by, from God. However it can then be argued that if a person is only being obedient to the rules of God and doing what they are told, are they actually making a moral decision?This then also questions whether that person also then has any moral autonomy if they are just obeying the word of God. This is a strong criticism against religious ethics when used for moral decision making. Another criticism is that many religious ethics are very hard to be applied to modern day situations. This is because the teachings within the Bible were written thousands of years ago, and with advances with technology and society generally, situations occur today which would not have back then.Therefore these ethics can be seen as too rigid to apply to modern day moral decisions. In particular many of St. Paul’s teachings are arguably sexist. For instance St. Paul preached that women should not be able to work, and yet today work between men and women is very equal with certain acts making this possible. Therefore as previously mentioned, it can be argued that St. Paul’s teachings are too rigid for moral decisions, as they do not take account for the modern day. Despite this, many argue that some Christian ethics are not too rigid for moral decision making e. . situation ethics. It is seen that situation ethics offers moral maturity and particularly conscience and prayer allows the Christian to have autonomy. Many Christians today take a liberal approach to moral decision making, as they are able to adapt the scripture for the particular situation that they are in and believe that this will achieve the best outcome. However Fundamentalist Christians will argue that if Christian ethics are too flexible then this could result with no ethics or guidance in what to do, and Christians wi ll make the wrong moral decisions.In conclusion, Fundamentalist and Liberal Christians take different approaches to moral decision making using religious ethics. Fundamentalist Christians will take a strict legalism approach and abide by rules from God such as the Ten Commandments, and only act by the teachings within the Bible, and how they believe that God would have wanted them to. On the other hand, Liberal Christians take a more copious approach and use Christian teachings such as situation ethics to help them make moral decisions.This is because they allow them to be flexible and are able to apply the rule of ‘love’ to every situation. I would agree with Liberal Christians, as I believe that this approach allows us to adapt Christian ethics for the modern day situation and I believe that this will achieve the best outcome whilst still following the word of God and acting lovingly. Therefore I believe that Christian ethics such as religious ethics saves Christianit y from being too rigid.

Civil Rights Movement

During the 1960s it was the start of the civil rights movement. It's quite a significant period in American history for equality since the Civil war. African American has had enough of the unjust way they've been treated. This was about the fight to attain something more than just changing the law but also come together as a nation to continue the fight for freedom and solve these social issues that were oppressing people of color. In order for this to happen, African Americans must of have taken actions that would greatly affect the system that they were forced to live. This was a time where uniting in their community was essential to the cause of the civil rights movement. Overcoming all these challenges was difficult as they were met with many oppositionists that were peaceful and non-peaceful. Many different leaders had a different philosophy on how to resolve their issues. Ultimately, they all had the same goal which was to find freedom and equality for their people. The civil rights movement was about battling against the racial injustices in America and getting equality to all people, while at the same time offering solutions to resolve all these issues in America. In the civil rights movement, African American were faced with dangers and obstacles in this fight. With all the rallies, marches that were organized, or just simply living their life, came a lot of unwelcome physical violence. One prime example of this is the peaceful marches people came and were then beaten by the police. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. directly explains, â€Å"when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick, and even kill your black brothers and sisters† (p.28-29).Most of the time it was no fault of the protester, but it was because of the racism and hate police had people of color. Another, yet similar, example of violence, experienced by Anne Moody. This was a protest in the death of Medgar. Anne, as well as other protesters, were arrested and put into a paddy wagon or garbage trucks and left in the fields. â€Å"The driver rolled up the windows,† describes civil rights activist Anne Moody, â€Å"turned the heater on, got out, closed the door and left us† (p.49). The protesters were not treated with any respect but instead treated like animals. Police brutality was a reality that was expected to be confronted with at rallies. However, they had to show no signs no signs of counter-attack and peaceful throughout the protest. It was part of King's non-violent approach during the civil rights movement. The oppression and discrimination of sorts was a battle that people of color faced during the 1960s. All of this was part of an everyday life for African Americans. However, there was some type discrimination within them. This was the role that women were allowed to be part of in the marches. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks states, â€Å"women were not allowed to play much of a role. The marching committee didn't want Coretta Scott King and the other wives of the male leaders to march with their husbands† (p.44). This was the separation of women and men for no reason. It shows the inequality that was present during the 1960s but also a bit ironic since the whole point of the march was the fight for equal rights. It's also a representation of how much more work is needed to make this world equal for everyone. Moreover, the discrimination against color people was quite vibrant in all aspects of the ways African Americans lived. African Americans were hit with a lot of discriminatory signs in public accommodations that were extremely racially offensive. When there seemed to have been some type of change with that, it only lasted for a while and went back to the same old thing. â€Å"We realize that we were the victims of a broken promise. A few signs, briefly removed, returned; the others remained,† expresses activist Martin Luther King, Jr. (p.26). Just because of their skin color they were met with racist signs. As I said before it's not just a legal change that was occurring but also a social one that needed a change. It was important to have a change in opinion by this country's society. It was also about combating the racism black people faced on a daily basis throughout their day. Anne Moody was a victim of what black people faced and hoped to change. Anne Moody was physically abused because of the color of her skin, â€Å"then the mob started to smear her and others with ketchup, mustard, sugar, pies, and everything in the counter† (p.45). This was just for sitting at the counter in a restaurant. In the midst of all this chaos, African Americans took action to combat all the racism they were facing and unjust laws that in order to get to a solution. There were many strategies that civil rights activist proposed and practiced that were put on the table in order to find solutions. One of these influencers proposed to have a unification of all black people. â€Å"Keep our religion between ourselves and our God, but when coming out here, we have a fight that is common to all of us against an enemy who is common to all of us,† expresses Muslim and civil rights leader Malcolm X (p.72-73). This a time where everyone must put their beliefs and differences aside in order to progress. At the end of the day, they all have the same goal and the same foe to fight against. This is a call to action where they must gain control of their own fate but in order for that to happen, they must invest in their own self. One of Malcolm's main objectives to combat the oppressive system black people were living in was different to King's method. King's method was a non-violent one and have all people, no matter the color, come together to erase the racism between people. Malcolm was more having only black people come together as a community to help one another in order to progress. Muslim speaker states, â€Å"The community in which you spend your money becomes richer and richer. The community out of which you take your money becomes poorer and poorer† (p.74). Malcolm wants black people to stop spending their money in communities they are not part of. He insists that it by spending money in your own community, it becomes richer and in then being able to prosper. This was just one of the few things that he proposes to during this time period. The 1960s was another major time period for African Americans to fight for equal rights in this country. This time period is a big turning point for all people of color. It signifies that by uniting everyone for a cause, situations can be changed for the better no matter how difficult the obstacle. It was the fight to change the social, political, cultural, and laws that cast a shadow on the people of color by discriminating them. The civil rights movement gave birth to different many leaders on how to solve this issues that were happening at that time. With many people taking action and finding solutions, also came a lot of misfortunes that brought many difficulties in the fight for equality. Many discrimination acts were against African American that they had the courage to unite for a better tomorrow. It was all about getting equality for every single person. Although today our world is not completely equal as we want it to be, there is no doubt that we have made some remarkable advancements in our society. Looking back at the history of the civil rights movement there's for sure something that we learn from and use today to solve our current issues. Civil Rights Movement CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT The civil rights movement in America had a wide variety of successes over time. As successful as they were, all went through their share of hardships and struggles. Major desegregation acts in history include Brown vs, Board of Education, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957. These events changed life for African Americans to come. In the early 1950's, racial segregation in public schools was the norm across America. Although all the schools in a given district were supposed to be equal, most black schools were inferior to their white counterparts.Brown vs. Board of Education was a decision of the US Supreme Court in 1954 that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. It was a giant step towards complete desegregation of public schools. However, even partial desegregation of these schools, was still very far away. Started by the arrest of Rosa Parks on 1 December 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month protest that ended with the U. S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.At one point in time, 90 percent of African American bus riders were choosing to walk. The bus boycott demonstrated nonviolent protest to successfully challenge racial segregation and was an example for other campaigns that followed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , being the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, spoke to many about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, commonly expressing that, ‘‘I want it to be known that we’re going to work with grim and bold determination to gain justice on the buses in this city†.The bus boycott was followed by a similar judgment concerning interstate buses. However, states in the Deep South continued their own policy of transport segregation. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also requ ired employers to give equal employment opportunities. The Civil Rights Act also attempted to deal with the problem of African Americans being denied the vote in the Deep South.The legislation stated it must prevail for establishing the right to vote. Schooling to sixth grade constituted legal proof of literacy and the attorney general was given power to give legal action in any area that they found resistance to the law. These three things impacted American history and all strengthened a complete integration that many during this time were moving toward. Without these, who knows where the U. S. would be at, in terms of racial issues, today? Civil Rights Movement CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT The civil rights movement in America had a wide variety of successes over time. As successful as they were, all went through their share of hardships and struggles. Major desegregation acts in history include Brown vs, Board of Education, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Civil Rights Act of 1957. These events changed life for African Americans to come. In the early 1950's, racial segregation in public schools was the norm across America. Although all the schools in a given district were supposed to be equal, most black schools were inferior to their white counterparts.Brown vs. Board of Education was a decision of the US Supreme Court in 1954 that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. It was a giant step towards complete desegregation of public schools. However, even partial desegregation of these schools, was still very far away. Started by the arrest of Rosa Parks on 1 December 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month protest that ended with the U. S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.At one point in time, 90 percent of African American bus riders were choosing to walk. The bus boycott demonstrated nonviolent protest to successfully challenge racial segregation and was an example for other campaigns that followed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , being the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, spoke to many about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, commonly expressing that, ‘‘I want it to be known that we’re going to work with grim and bold determination to gain justice on the buses in this city†.The bus boycott was followed by a similar judgment concerning interstate buses. However, states in the Deep South continued their own policy of transport segregation. The 1964 Civil Rights Act made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also requ ired employers to give equal employment opportunities. The Civil Rights Act also attempted to deal with the problem of African Americans being denied the vote in the Deep South.The legislation stated it must prevail for establishing the right to vote. Schooling to sixth grade constituted legal proof of literacy and the attorney general was given power to give legal action in any area that they found resistance to the law. These three things impacted American history and all strengthened a complete integration that many during this time were moving toward. Without these, who knows where the U. S. would be at, in terms of racial issues, today?

Wethersfield Connecticut essays

Wethersfield Connecticut essays The United States is a country which developed its advancement of democracy in stages. One can say that some areas were more highly evolved than others, however at some point in time the regions and states lacking in the proper balance between freedom and authority would learn from those that were better developed. The town of Wethersfield, Connecticut is a paragon that portrays how one town may be more constitutionally focused in some ways than others, which paved the way for the remaining lands to improve and alter their laws, rules and freedoms to further the nation to a well A Democracy can be explained as a system with equality of opportunity. In this form of democracy, every citizen of the country has the same chances at acquiring the most benefits for himself, no matter what they be. In the small community of Wethersfield, Connecticut, there are many progressions in democracy. For example, many of the residencies were equal in size, however there is a difference in tax payment. The assumption is made that those who pay more are the people who might have more property in addition to the house itself.(Document E). Those who have more property are usually those people who are wealthier. Therefore, it is shown that the affluent people are actually paying more taxes than the less wealthy. This is a step towards developing a better sense of Democracy because the amount of taxes being paid are decided in a fair manner. This is just one example of how Wethersfield is growing democratically. Although it is long before the Civil War, slavery is already becoming a major issue in the territories. However, by 1774, the amount of African American Slaves had decreased, just as the amount of free African Americans has significantly increased. (Document A). From this count, it can be inferred that masters were freeing their slaves, perhaps realizing the injustice being done to the African American...

Gospel

Gospel Gospel Gospel By Maeve Maddox The word gospel entered Old English as a translation of a Latin phrase meaning â€Å"good tidings† or â€Å"good news†: god (good) + spell (speech, message). â€Å"The Gospel† (capitalized) is the â€Å"good news† that Jesus Christ redeemed mankind from sin and death. â€Å"A gospel† is one of the four books in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) that record the life and teachings of Jesus. By extension, gospel may refer to the entire body of religious doctrine taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles. The word is also used to refer to all the books of the New Testament, or even to all 66 books in both testaments, from Genesis to Revelation. In a broader sense, any heavenly revelation may be called a gospel: God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars. –Martin Luther. A gospel may be any secular philosophy that serves as a guide to human conduct. A doctrine or opinion that is strongly held and preached with a religious fervor is also referred to as a gospel. For example: I wouldnt really advocate going to other sites and preaching the gospel of feminism to those that didnt ask for it. When they hear someone like me preaching the Gospel of firearms, they assume that I’m some kind of radical who wants everyone to be armed. The phrase â€Å"The Gospel According to† is an extremely popular title opener: The Gospel According to Coco Chanel The Gospel According to Disney The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss The Gospel According to Yoda The psychologist William James wrote an essay called, â€Å"The Gospel of Relaxation,† and Atlantic journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates has written an article with the title â€Å"The Gospel of Rudy Giuliani.† Finally, there are some idioms that employ the word gospel: the social gospel The application of Christian ethics to social problems like poverty and crime. the gospel of wealth The belief that the accumulation of vast wealth by a few is beneficial to all of society. the gospel side The north side of a Christian church, to the left of the main altar. The person reading the day’s gospel selection stands there. hot gospeller A revivalist preacher who has a lively delivery. gospel music A music genre that combines dominant vocals and strong harmony with Christian lyrics. the gospel truth Unimpeachable truth. For example, â€Å"I didn’t steal your lunch, and that’s the gospel truth!† While not an idiom, the phrase â€Å"the synoptic gospels† is frequently seen or heard in discussions of the Christian New Testament. Of the four gospels that focus on the life and teachings of Jesus, three contain such similar content–in almost the same order– that they can be studied in parallel editions. The synoptic gospels are the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating ConjunctionsProbable vs. PossibleShow, Don't Tell

A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function

A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function When writing a Perl script you might find it handy to use the pop() function, which looks like this: $ITEM pop(ARRAY); Perls pop() function is used to remove and return (or pop) the last element from an array, which reduces the number of elements by one. The last element in the array is the one with the highest index. Its easy to confuse this function with shift(), which removes the first element from an array. An Example of Using the Perl Pop() Function myNames (Larry, Curly, Moe);$oneName pop(myNames); If you think of an array as a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right, it would be the element on the far right. The pop() function would cut the element off the right side of the array, return it, and reduce the elements by one. In the examples, the value of $oneName becomes Moe, the last element, and myNames is shortened to (Larry, Curly). The array can also be thought of as a stack- picture of a stack of numbered boxes, starting with 0 on the top, and increasing as it goes down. The pop() function would pop the element off the bottom of the stack, return it, and reduce the elements by one. myNames (Larry,Curly,Moe);$oneName pop(myNames);

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Economics - Research Paper Example In addition, the research will seek to identify the various benefits and disadvantages that are brought about by unemployment in USA. Unemployment in this case is described as a state of a person who is able and willing to work at the available rates and is actively seeking a job but is unable to acquire an income-generating job. Unemployment is always accompanied by unemployment rate. Unemployment rate is described by economists as the total number of unemployed persons in the country divided by the total number of the labor force (Rappaport 5). Unemployment can be defined depending with the different circumstances that underlie the situation. The United States is one of the countries that face a high unemployment rate in the world as compared to other European countries such as Germany, United Kingdom, and France. This research paper seeks to ascertain the level of unemployment in USA. Moreover, the researches will establish the disadvantages of unemployment in USA as well as identify the causative agents of unemployment in the country (Rappaport 5). Unemployment is a situation that occurs when people are willing and able to work and cannot find a job. This research is confined to unemployment in the USA. The research will focus on factors that cause unemployment in USA and the increasing trend towards unemployment in the country (Hornstein and Thomas 8). Moreover, it will focus on the challenges facing unemployment in USA as well as suggesting possible solutions for the factors identified. Unemployment situation occurs when a person who is actively seeking for a job is unable to obtain a job. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the country, commonly known as unemployment rate. Unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons in the country divided by the total number of the labor force. When an economy is undergoing recession, the rate of unemployment is usually very high. Recent statistics shows that

Oracy in Teaching Maths and Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Oracy in Teaching Maths and Science - Essay Example The teachers use different strategies to provide opportunities to allow different types of discussions. Spoken language skills need to be developed in all subject areas, as different curriculum areas require different speaking and listening skills. There are different aspects that need to be observed relating to the different processes involved in talking, thinking and interthinking. For example, in assessing a child's ability to analyse a problem, his or her skills at speculating, questioning and hypothesising have to be observed. In assessing a child's ability to communicate, his or her skills at describing, explaining and clarifying have to be observed. This requires that the teacher observe a set of pupils of just two or three per session so that an appropriate observation of skills and a proper planning of talk experiences can be made. It is useful to involve pupils in the planning process so that they can participate in discussions as to what skills are needed in different area s such as math problem-solving, science experiments, etc., and the different kinds of talk, the outcomes and the resources available. Children should be made to work in different groups, playing diverse roles, so that stereotyping can be avoided and their different skills can be observed. Participation in diverse groups helps the children understand the functioning of group dynamics and the benefits of team work. Lalljee cites the example of 6-year-old children working in pairs for producing a free form class poem where the discussions of their ideas inspired them enough to produce an illustrated booklet which was read with enthusiasm by them (Lalljee 1998, p.6). Encouraging students to make suggestions on problems and ideas allow them speaking and listening space within the curriculum. Development of problem-solving skills According to the National Curriculum, teachers are expected to provide pupils opportunities to develop seven common requirements - Curriculum Cymreig, Communication Skills, Mathematical Skills, Information Technology Skills, Problem-solving Skills, Creative Skills, Personal and Social Education - through their study of the National Curriculum subjects (Common requirements n.d.). The Education Act of 2002 stipulates that a balanced and broadly-based curriculum should prepare pupils for the "opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life" (Skills framework 2007, p.2). Future Skills Wales 2003 Generic Skills Survey reports that of skills gaps reported by employers, lack of IT skills is the most common problem "followed by communication skillsshowing initiative, problem solving and ability to learn" (cited in Skills framework 2007, p.2). The skills framework developed for oracy moves on a continuum of different levels and stages for developing and presenting information an d ideas. The problem-solving skills in oracy are developed through several key stages. For developing oracy, the first key stage involves using talk to develop thinking by exploring, developing and clarifying ideas, predicting outcomes and discussing possibilities. The second stage involves talking for a range of purposes, including planning, predicting and investigating. The third stage involves t

Implementation and Analysis Proposition 30 ( increase tax for Essay

Implementation and Analysis Proposition 30 ( increase tax for education ) - Essay Example The policy affects the upper income tax payers because they are the one to pay additional tax for the funding of the state’s budgeted programs. However, the beneficiaries of the policy range from community colleges and schools, universities, department of development services, department of parks and recreation, department of fish and game, city police departments among other funded educational programs (Williams, 2011). The Proposition 30 will increase the rate of Sales Tax from 2013 all the way to 2016 by 9.3%. This policy measure will increase statewide rate of sales tax by almost one quarter for each dollar of purchased goods. The policy will be effective for four years. The Proposition 30 will also increase the rates of Personal Income Tax from 2012 to 2018. The policy measure will increase the already existing 9.3 percent rates on the higher incomes. The supplementary marginal rate of tax will increase with the increase in taxable income. The policy will add state revenue from 2018 through to 2019. Through the fiscal years in which both the personal income tax and sales tax increases as stated above due to phasing in and phasing out of the higher rates of taxes, the smaller increases in revenue are likely to be seen in 2011/2012, 2017/2018, and 2018/2019 (Jeffrey And Aaron, 1984). The revenue could also be seen changing from year to year significantly. This would be so through multibillion dollar swing either below or above the projected revenues. This could be because the majority of extra revenue would result from the increase on rates of personal income tax on the upper income taxpayers. Additionally, the bigger part of the reported income by the upper income taxpayers is associated with their businesses and investments, rather than their salaries and wages. The policy as mentioned before will also benefit schools, because the new tax revenues

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

Aluminum - Essay Example Aluminum is a member of the group III of the periodic table and is classified as a metal with properties lying midway between metals and metalloids. The 8% by weight of the Earth’s crust is made up of aluminum which makes it the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and also the third most abundant element. Though insoluble in water, aluminum is a very reactive material. For using in various applications across different engineering and technology fields aluminum has to be extracted from its ores, a majority of which are oxides of aluminum. The most abundant ore of aluminum is bauxite ore. Aluminum has vast applications and is considered to be the most widely used material in all types of engineering. The property of aluminum which makes it suitable for use in various different kinds of engineering applications is its low density and ability to resist corrosion. The ability to resist corrosion is developed through forming a thin layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of aluminum which makes it a passive material as aluminum oxide is a very less reactive. This phenomenon of placing a layer of oxide on the surface of a metal is known as passivation. The light weight of aluminum makes it useful in aerospace industry and the use of aluminum cladding is also getting popularity in architectural and construction industry. There are many chemical reactions in which aluminum can be used as a catalyst due to its reactive nature.

Global product Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global product - Case Study Example Theodore Levitt (Philip Kotlar, 2000) postulated that corporations that try to sell standardized or global products across diverse global markets are better able to tap in their core competencies and reduce costs through standardization not only of the product but also of the distribution channels and promotional activities. Such a strategy, that Keegan calls Straight Extension1, indeed works with consumer electronics including house-hold goods like washing machines, TV sets, music systems etc. This straight extension involves introducing exactly the same product in a new market (region or country), using the same promotional and distributional strategy that is being used at home. A product that is capable of being accepted per se, and appeals to customers surpassing geographical or cultural difference, would indeed be a global product. It is argued that due to the proliferation of media, Internet, and other means of communication, consumers throughout the world are now exhibiting a taste for common products and services. As such, a truly global product is possible to nurture and maintain in a variety of different world regions. Microsoft had introduced X-Box 360 to three different regions - North America, Europe and Japan, in November last year. (Planet Xbox 360 News, 2nd Feb 2006) The product is aimed at those between 15 and 35 years of age, having disposable incomes, and interested in technology. Microsoft was able to recognize this segment (that spans over three very different continents) and come up with a standardized product and promotional activity to sell it globally. Similarly, the recent introduction of Apple's iPod Nano (Apple.com, and NonStopMac.com) has displayed the proliferation of a global culture that appears to have the hip, trendy, and financially affluent people as its members. This ultra slim and attractive product has caught the imagination of the people world wide - and even given rise to terms like "nanogasm" (urbandictionary.com) - a word coined to mean the utter excitement caused by just thinking about the sleek and trendy iPod Nano. However, there have been more failure than success stories, about how organizations lost millions when they adopted the Straight Extension approach and tried to barge in on the new markets' sensibilities, disregarding the cultural and social nuances. For example, when Philips introduced its large capacity coffee makers in Japan, it found few takers, though Japanese liked coffee and drank it at home too. (Philip Kotler, 2000). It was soon discovered that as Japanese kitchens are smaller, and the Japanese culture is biased towards zero wastage and preservation of food, Philips coffee makers were not welcomed there. By reducing the size of the product, Philip was finally able to make profits in this market. In India, where there is still problem of regular electricity and water supply in even the bigger cities, IFB's fully-automatic front-loading washing machines are not preferred, even by those who believe it to be superior to other brands and makes available in the local market. As can be seen by the above cases, there are many aspects that can prevent a product from becoming a global entity. It is almost impossible, and at times foolish, to

Migrant labors workers abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Migrant labors workers abuse - Essay Example The most astonishing part is that these workers usually belong to poor countries of the world. They migrate in order to identify better working opportunities. But usually what the find is extreme hard work without full compensation of their struggles. This subsequently raises a question that why migrant labor workers rights are abused? Here, it will be argued that the primary reason for such massive mistreatment is the workers association with poor and under developed countries. The UAE’s construction boom which was started in early 2000 was a huge source of recruitment for labor workers from all over the world and specifically from poor countries. It was reported that more than 500,000 labor workers employed by different construction companies were migrants from countries such as Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Moreover, the country’s 95% workforce constituted of these migrant workers. It is a harsh reality that the huge towers of UAE are actually built while sacrificing the rights of thousands of poor people (UAE: Workers Abused in Construction Boom, 2006). One of the major construction projects undergoing in UAE is Saadiyat Island. This project is owned by UAE’s Tourists Development and Investment Company (TDIC). International news agencies have observed that the company is not abiding by its own employment rules and regulations. Hence majority of its workers are actually living and working in extreme conditions. On the other hand if they try to take action then company expels them out. The situation is even worse at the building site of New York University’s campus in UAE (Batty, 2013). It has been identified that the construction companies are actually confiscating the migrant workers passports while reducing their chances to move out of UAE. Moreover, TDIC pledged to provide accommodation to its workers in Saadiyat’s village but the labor workers are living in inferior conditions in

Global product Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global product - Case Study Example Theodore Levitt (Philip Kotlar, 2000) postulated that corporations that try to sell standardized or global products across diverse global markets are better able to tap in their core competencies and reduce costs through standardization not only of the product but also of the distribution channels and promotional activities. Such a strategy, that Keegan calls Straight Extension1, indeed works with consumer electronics including house-hold goods like washing machines, TV sets, music systems etc. This straight extension involves introducing exactly the same product in a new market (region or country), using the same promotional and distributional strategy that is being used at home. A product that is capable of being accepted per se, and appeals to customers surpassing geographical or cultural difference, would indeed be a global product. It is argued that due to the proliferation of media, Internet, and other means of communication, consumers throughout the world are now exhibiting a taste for common products and services. As such, a truly global product is possible to nurture and maintain in a variety of different world regions. Microsoft had introduced X-Box 360 to three different regions - North America, Europe and Japan, in November last year. (Planet Xbox 360 News, 2nd Feb 2006) The product is aimed at those between 15 and 35 years of age, having disposable incomes, and interested in technology. Microsoft was able to recognize this segment (that spans over three very different continents) and come up with a standardized product and promotional activity to sell it globally. Similarly, the recent introduction of Apple's iPod Nano (Apple.com, and NonStopMac.com) has displayed the proliferation of a global culture that appears to have the hip, trendy, and financially affluent people as its members. This ultra slim and attractive product has caught the imagination of the people world wide - and even given rise to terms like "nanogasm" (urbandictionary.com) - a word coined to mean the utter excitement caused by just thinking about the sleek and trendy iPod Nano. However, there have been more failure than success stories, about how organizations lost millions when they adopted the Straight Extension approach and tried to barge in on the new markets' sensibilities, disregarding the cultural and social nuances. For example, when Philips introduced its large capacity coffee makers in Japan, it found few takers, though Japanese liked coffee and drank it at home too. (Philip Kotler, 2000). It was soon discovered that as Japanese kitchens are smaller, and the Japanese culture is biased towards zero wastage and preservation of food, Philips coffee makers were not welcomed there. By reducing the size of the product, Philip was finally able to make profits in this market. In India, where there is still problem of regular electricity and water supply in even the bigger cities, IFB's fully-automatic front-loading washing machines are not preferred, even by those who believe it to be superior to other brands and makes available in the local market. As can be seen by the above cases, there are many aspects that can prevent a product from becoming a global entity. It is almost impossible, and at times foolish, to

Legal Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 4

Legal Abortion - Essay Example Only the individual can disseminate the information and make their own decision based on what they believe to be right but everyone should know both sides on equal terms so as to make the decision that is right for them. This paper will first present the ‘right-to-life’ then follow with the ‘pro-choice’ argument. The right to choose is the foundation upon which this country was built. Those who are pro-abortion trumpet this slogan while proclaiming a woman’s ‘God given right’ to make her own choices without government interference. This simple ideology is embraced by some but the arguments are flawed when the realities of abortion are examined. Studies have shown that most women are coerced into committing this murderous act of a living human and that there is no such thing as safe abortions as many are led to believe. Pro-abortion proponents generally espouse that the rights of a non-living tissue that feels no pain are non-existent. This discussion exposes these untruths that have been reported and are widely perceived as facts. It also explains the framers’ intent for the legal and moral direction of American society when they drafted the Constitution, the document that defines the laws of the nation. There is little freedom of choice for women who are experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. The women themselves usually wish to bring their baby to full term. Other powerful influences in her life such as husbands/boyfriends, parents and friends are generally the forces that exact pressures on her to terminate the pregnancy. â€Å"Eight out of 10 women surveyed after abortion said they would have given birth if they’d had support and encouragement from family and friends† (Reardon, 2002). It’s the abortion that, in many cases, is unwanted by the woman, not the baby.

The house of wisdom

The house of wisdom The House of Wisdom Case Study: Al-Khwarizmi. Abu Jafar Al-Mansur was taking no chances with his new imperial capital, Baghdad, for this was to be a city like no other. The second Abbasid caliph of the Muslims ordered his architects to mark the layout of the walls of his proposed city, a perfect circle, in keeping with the geometric teachings of the caliphs beloved Euclid, the great Greek mathematician who lived in the fourth and third centuries B.C, and was specialized in geometry (Hayhurst). Twelve years before work began on the capital, al-Mansurs brother Saffah completed the overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty, which has risen to power in the Muslim world three decades after the death of the Prophet Muhammed in 632. Saffah, sent his forces under the Abbasids distinctive black banners to hunt down the remaining members of the House of the Umayyads. The only significant figure to escape alive was Prince Abd al-Rahman, who fled to North Africa before going on to establish Western Caliphate in southern Spain. However, the victory o f the Abbasids, who found it politically possible to declare their direct lineage to the Prophet through his paternal uncle Abbas, was less a blood dispute between an aging dynasty and an ambitious pretender that it was an extensive cultural revolution throughout the Islamic lands. Al-Mansurs young court was virtually surrounded by established centers of Christian, Persian, and pagan learning; on the other hand, he had to go looking for one important element of what might be called Abbasid intellectual policy. At the caliphs invitation, an Indian scholarly delegation skilled in the movements of the starts arrived in Baghdad bearing Hindu scientific texts, an important jumping-off point for early Arab astronomy and mathematics. The Hindu sages understood how to solve equations based on trigonometric sine function and had devised smart ways to predict eclipses. The caliph ordered an official translation of the Hindu material into Arabic, part of an increasingly organized effort to absorb Persian and Indian knowledge. This same approach, accompanied by much original research was soon afterwards applied with the ancient learning of the Greeks (Lyons). The Umayyads laid the groundwork for scientific inquiry, but much of their early focus was on questions of Islamic law and the practice of medicine, a field in which they, like their successors, relied heavily on Christian physicians from Syria and Persia. The Abbasid caliphs delibrately pushed back these boundaries to make more room for the study of both philosophy and the hard sciences. According to the Arab historian Said al-Andalusi, who died in 1070, much of the credit for this goes to the founder of Baghdad:There was a surge in spirit and an awakening in intelligence. The first of this dynasty to cultivate science was the second caliph, Abu Jafar al-Mansur. He was, in addition to his profound knowledge of logic and law, very interested in philosophy and observational astronomy; he was fond of both and of the people who worked in these fields (Lyons). Another chronicler notes that the caliph directed numerous foreign translations into Arabic, including classic works of Hindu, Pe rsian, and Greek scholars, and set the direction for future research. Once in possession of these books, the public read and studied them avidly. (Lyons) To host the vast scale of work needed to study, translate, and store the huge volume of Persian and Greek texts, al-Mansur established a royal library modeled after those of the great Persian kings. Working space, administrative support, together with financial support were also required for the small army of scholars who take up these tasks and then build on them in creative and original ways. This was the origin of what became known as Bayt al Hikma or the House of Wisdom the collective institutional and imperial expression of early Abbasid intellectual ambition and official state policy. Overtime, the House of Wisdom came to comprise a translation bureau, a library and book repository, and an academy of scholars and intellectuals from across the empire. Its overriding function, however, was the safeguarding on invaluable knowledge, a fact reflected in other terms applied at times by arab historians to describe the project, such as the Treasury of the Books of Wisdom or simply the Treasury of Wisdom. Experts affiliated with the imperial institution staffed the caliphs observatory as well and took part in scientific experiments at his command. But the House of Wisdom also played an important role in the cultivation of Abbasid literary works (Lyons). Large sums of public funds were dedicated to the House of Wisdom and related projects of cultural and intellectual enrichment. Even diplomacy and on occasion war, was harnessed to the drive for greater knowledge. Abbasid delegations to the rival Byzantine court often conveyed requests for copies of valuable Greek texts, successfully securing works by Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen, and Euclid; a copy of Ptolemys astronomical masterpiece soon became famous among the Arabs. The influential ninth-century scholar and translator Hunaun ibn Ishaq provides a taste of the length to which the Arab sages would go to obtain necessary material, in this case a missing medical manuscript: I myself searched with great zeal in quest of this book over Mesopotamia, all of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, until I came to Alexandria. I found nothing, except about half of it, in Damascus (Lyons). The caliphs and their officials were not the only ones behind this campaign. The effort became an integral feature of the Abbasid society itself and was supported enthusiastically by the social and political elite, from high born princes to merchants, bankers, and military officers. Even the concubines of the caliphs were known on occasion to contract with scholars for specialized translations. A former highwayman and childhood friend of Caliph al-Mamun, the seventh Abbasid ruler, turned his own facility for astrology into vast political power and wealth; he later fathered three children, known as the Sons of Musa, all of whom did original research in astronomy, mathematics, and engineering and generously funded other scholars and translators. Scholarships and other intellectual activities became an important means of social advancement, further breaking down what remained of the Arabs traditional hierarchy. They also encouraged competition for patronage among scholars from different traditions, primarily Arab and Persian, a phenomenon that ensured that high quality scientific and literary work would be carried out for centuries. The most skilled translator could earn huge sums of their work one was reputed to have been paid the weight of each completed manuscript in gold or rise to high office on the strength of their intellectual accomplishments. Without this institutional support, the considerable talents of the diverse scholars now under Abbasid rule would never have united into a powerful intellectual movement. Over the course of 150 years, the Arabs translated all available Greek books of science and philosophy. Arabic replaced Greek as the universal language of scientific inquiry. Higher education became increasingly organized in the early ninth century, and most major Muslim cities featured some type of university. One such institution, al-Azhar mosque complex in Cairo, has been the seat of uninterrupted instruction for more than one thousand years. Scholars traveled great distances to study with the most celebrated masters, dotted throughout the empire. Travel, and the accompanying exposure to new experiences and new ways of thinking, was an important element of a scholars education in a society that retained great reverence for the spoken word; other than face-to-face, how else could a learned man meet his colleagues and collect and debate their ideas? No one did more to advance the latest trends and then explain and popularize the results than the mathematician and astronomer Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. Born around 783, al-Khwarizmi was able to take full advantage of the social mobility and intellectual meritocracy that characterized early Abbasid scholarly life in Baghdad. Little is known of his exact origins, although his name suggests that he or his family originally came from Khwarazm. Al-Khwarizmis Muslim faith is made clear by the pious prefaces to some of his works, but his descendants may have been Zoroastrians. Al-Khwarizmis years of greatest productivity corresponded with the reigns of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mamun and his two successors Al-Mutasem and Al-Wathiq. As a prominent researcher attached to al-Mamuns House of Wisdom, al-Khwarizmi went on to attain rare heights in such disciplines as astronomy, arithmetic, and algebra. He was considered at the head of the institution (Sayili). Al-Khwarizmi is known to be the author of the zij, a book containing astronomical tables. His first two tables were known as the Sindhind. The zij provided the Muslims with all the tools needed to locate the positions of the sun, the moon, and the five visible planets. The zij was used to a great extent to regulate the five daily prayers and to mark the crescent moon which determines the start of the lunar month. Al-Khwarizmis Arabic text has been lost, but it survives in 12th century Latin translation. There exists the proof that the so-called Arabic numerals were conveyed to the West. For Muslims, The Book of Addition and Subtraction explained fully a system that was already in some use by the early ninth century, and within a little more than 100 years it had led to the discovery of decimal fractions. Actually, the book was called the Book of Addition and Subtraction to the Hindu Calculations, and this reveals that Muslims were open to many civilizations and they built their knowl edge upon older civilizations and scientific discoveries. The Indians were the first to come up with the decimal place system of nine numerals and zero, apparently the system that we use today. Al-Khwarizmi used decimal fractions to find the roots of numbers and later to calculate the value of Pi the ratio of a circle to its radius, correctly to a notable sixteen decimal places (Brezina). Nothing could reveal the real power and ability of Al-Khwarizmi more than his short work on algebra. The Book of Restoring and Balancing (Kitab al-jabr wal-muqabala) was the perfect guide and also the perfect gift to caliph al-Mamun and the Muslim society. The book was considered the simplest and most useful in arithmetic for the day-to-day matters. The book was referred to in cases of inheritance, legacies, trade, law-suits, and dealings among members of the society. Also, the book was consulted where measuring of lands, digging of canals, geometrical computations and other subjects were concerned. To fit with the Islamic rules of islam, Al-Khwarizmi included a simple algebraic operation that solves the inheritance problem for any size assets. Besides, the calculation of the Zakat, the annual religious tax, was included in the guide (Lyons). South Korea and Taiwan export more manufactured goods in two days than Egypt in a year; 35% of Cairenes live in slums; in Saudi Arabia, up to 30% of people live in poverty. Since 1950 the Arab population has risen from 79m to 327m, but real wages and productivity have barely moved since 1970. Intellectual life is atrophying. More books are translated into Spanish in a year than have been translated into Arabic in the past 1,000, states the UNs Arab Human Development Report. The authors trace much of the regions problems back to Arab societys methods of child-rearing (the authoritarian accompanied by the overprotective) which, they argue, affects how the child thinks by suppressing questioning, exploration and initiative. All of which perfectly suits the Arab worlds leaders and corrupt bureaucratic elites. Should we care? Very much so. Already, poor economic opportunities, endemic corruption, education based on rote learning, state-sponsored Jew hatred, soaring youth populations and unemployment are a recipe for social catastrophe. Add the rise of radical Islam and the growth of Al-Qaeda and the mix becomes something explosive. Paradoxically, the answer to the Arab worlds future lies in its past. A millennia ago Arab and Muslim thinkers, writers, scientists and doctors led an intellectual revolution that is still shaping our world. Without the pioneering work of the 9thcentury mathematician known as al-Khwarizmi, for example, thered probably be no comput ers. The legacies of Baghdads House of Wisdom and Al-Andalus prove there are no contradictions between Islam and intellectual innovation, the motor of any dynamic society. The answer to the Arab worlds problems, say a growing number of modern Islamic thinkers and scholars, can be found in ijtihad. The word shares a root with jihad, meaning holy war or struggle. Jihad nowadays is often interpreted to mean military struggle in Iraq or Palestine, or even suicide bombing. But jihad also means the spiritual and intellectual struggle for knowledge, for self-enlightenment.

Free College Admissions Essays: I Am Very Smart :: College Admissions Essays

I Am Smart and Jewish (Is that Redundant?) Â   As my application shows, I am an above average student in most areas. I have particularly excelled in mathematics, earning good grades throughout high school. When pondering about my future, I thought that I might be able to use math to be successful in business. So after my sophomore year, I decided to take some business courses with the goal of attaining a solid background in the field. High school, however, has not adequately prepared me to enter the world of business. This is the primary reason I am applying to the University of Connecticut: I hope to further expand my education in the field of business. Â   Outside of school, I have a wide variety of other interests. One of my favorite things to do is to play sports, especially baseball and basketball. Since I was about seven years old, I have played in many baseball and basketball leagues. While I join an intramural baseball league every spring, I play competitive basketball year-round. I play these sports not just to enjoy myself, but also to learn how to be a better leader. My leadership in basketball was formally acknowledged last year, as I received the sportsmanship award. This award meant a lot to me, especially since my team won the league championship that year. Not only did it show that everyone on the team recognized me for my leadership, but also it made me feel good knowing that I had helped lead a team to a championship trophy. This was my third year being on a championship basketball team, and I have also been on championship baseball teams, but winning the sportsmanship award was an added bonus. Â   Beyond my competitive sports, I have been skiing and playing golf recreationally since I was about eight years old. Every summer I take golf lessons to improve my abilities on the golf course. I also took ski lessons every winter for about five years until I felt I was skilled enough to compete on my own. During my sophomore year in high school, I went out for the high school ski team. I did pretty well during the season, although I might have done better had I taken a few more lessons earlier in my life. Unfortunately, that was my only year skiing for the team.

Silas Marner :: essays research papers

Characterization George Elliot's Silas Marner tells a tale of basic human nature depicted through the words and actions of the characters. The characterization presented throughout Silas Marner is enhanced with the uses of point of view, human understanding, and literary devices. Using these techniques, she creates believable characters that develop along with the plot to create a story line that, not only seems real, but also appeals to the human senses of understanding and sympathy. George Elliot chose to write Silas Marner in the omniscient point of view (Holland, 57), meaning that the action could be viewed from any angle. In doing so, she creates an atmosphere in which any character is given the opportunity to display his or her feelings toward one another. This decision allows the reader to better understand why the characters feel the ways they do, because their reasoning is shown in their conversations and actions with others. Also, it allows the reader to realize that the characters' actions are dependent on the consequences one could face at the time it was written. This gave way for a more personal character to develop, because no one person was describing him or her. Certain traits are left for the reader to develop on his own. Since Elliot chose to write in the omniscient point of view, she allows herself to control certain traits about each character through her use of narration. This is essential in presenting certain knowledge to the reader that not every character is aware of. Therefore, a strong presence of irony exists within the novel, and is displayed numerous times. One such situation continually represented is the knowledge that Eppie is the daughter of Godfrey Cass and his secret wife who died in the snow. The fact that no one knows of this situation, besides Godfrey, are the source of much irony and eventually the climax of the novel. Another example f dramatic irony is that the reader knows, from the minute of its occurrence, that the robbery is the doing of Dunstan Cass. However, no one in the novel is presented with these details. This concealing of information is the source of much irony within Silas Marner. Along with point of view, literary devices are used to create and develop characters throughout Silas Marner. The use of speech is the most prevalent device found within the novel. The speech patterns of the "common man" are noticeably different from those of the "proper.