Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Gods VS Mortals :: essays research papers

â€Å"There is only one way: Destroy them all." Lucan's burning eyes moved slowly from one god to the next, hoping his harsh decree had convinced more of them to take his side. It had seemed like an eternity (which it very well could have been) since all the gods had gathered together like this. â€Å"This can not be the way, I still believe this would be an over reaction.† Ranna said, waving her hand as if to throw away Lucan's idea. â€Å"What the mortals need is our guidance.† â€Å"You cannot be seriously talking about the, elves† Lucan scowled â€Å"How can you be so passionate about the race that yellowed your fields, up rosed and murdered your followers, even attacked you! There is nothing in their heart but the love for wealth and power.† She glared back at him. â€Å"That is your doings at work, Lucan. It was only when they broke on to the Flats of Power that you stopped enjoying their growing domination of Nithra.† â€Å"We all agree mortals have gone too far," Srill interrupted, knowing there was a need to interrupt before the argument went on further. "But the answer isn't to wipe away all of our work. It is only a few races that have gone this far. Perhaps a select cleansing instead of complete destruction." Rook shook his head. "I have to agree with Lucan on this matter. Wiping them out is the only way." "The answer is obvious," interrupted Cazil. "If my power was allowed to grow, the mortals would be in no position to challenge us. Fear will keep them in line, it always should have." Kara roared. "Absurd! It's proven that apart any one of us can be overcome by the mortals. It is our neglect that has brought this upon us. The solution must be one that we can all agree on." "can you be too blind?" Lucan growled. "How can you not see that the mortals must be punished?" "You ignore their honor," Marr countered. "They earned the right to exist. "Right to exist?" Innok cackled. "Leave them to their selfs and they will destroy themselves in greed and hate. We should not kill them, but step to the side and let them waste them selfs." "We don't have that kind of time," Ro speaks. "The planes are already weak, some have already been completely erased, our powers have grown too weary to hold them. We must strike back while we still can.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Zoe’s Tale PART I Chapter Two

I climbed out onto the roof through my bedroom window and looked back at Hickory. â€Å"Hand me those binoculars,† I said. It did – and then climbed out the window with me. Since you've probably never seen it I'll have you know it's a pretty impressive sight to watch an Obin unfold itself to get through a window. Very graceful, with no real analogue to any human movement you might want to describe. The universe, it has aliens in it. And they are. (Obin: â€Å"it,† not â€Å"he† or â€Å"she.† Because they're hermaphrodites. That means male and female sex organs. Go ahead and have your giggle. I'll wait. Okay, done? Good.) Hickory was on the roof with me; Dickory was outside the house, more or less spotting me in case I should trip or feel suddenly despondent, and then fall or leap off the roof. This is their standard practice when I climb out my window: one with me, one on the ground. And they're obvious about it; when I was a little kid Mom or Dad would see Dickory blow out the door and hang around just below the roof, and then yell up the stairs for me to get back into my room. Having paranoid alien pals has a downside. For the record: I've never fallen off the roof. Well, once. When I was ten. But there were extenuating circumstances. That doesn't count. Anyway, I didn't have to worry about either John or Jane telling me to get back into the house this time. They stopped doing that when I became a teenager. Besides, they were the reason I was up on the roof in the first place. â€Å"There they are,† I said, and pointed for Hickory's benefit. Mom and Dad and my green friend were standing in the middle of our sorghum field, a few hundred meters out. I raised my binoculars and they went from being hash marks to being actual people. Green man had his back to me, but he was saying something, because both Jane and John were looking at him intently. There was a rustle at Jane's feet, and then Babar popped up his head. Mom reached down to scratch him. â€Å"I wonder what he's talking to them about,† I said. â€Å"They're too far away,† Hickory said. I turned to it to make a comment along the lines of no kidding, genius. Then I saw the consciousness collar around its neck and was reminded that in addition to providing Hickory and Dickory with sentience – with their idea of who they were – their collars also gave them expanded senses, which were mostly devoted to keeping me out of trouble. I was also reminded that their consciousness collars were why they were here in the first place. My father – my biological father – created them for the Obin. I was also reminded that they were why I was here, too. Still here, I mean. Alive. But I didn't go down that road of thought. â€Å"I thought those things were useful,† I said, pointing to the collar. Hickory lightly touched the collar. â€Å"The collars do many things,† it said. â€Å"Enabling us to hear a conversation hundreds of meters away, and in the middle of a grain field, is not one of them.† â€Å"So you're useless,† I said. Hickory nodded its head. â€Å"As you say,† it said, in its noncommittal way. â€Å"It's no fun mocking you,† I said. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Hickory said. And the thing of it was, Hickory really was sorry. It's not easy being a funny, sarcastic thing when most of who you were depended on a machine you wore around your neck. Generating one's own prosthetic identity takes more concentration than you might expect. Managing a well-balanced sense of sarcasm above and beyond that is a little much to ask for. I reached over and gave Hickory a hug. It was a funny thing. Hickory and Dickory were here for me; to know me, to learn from me, to protect me, and if need be to die for me. And here I was, feeling protective of them, and feeling a little sad for them, too. My father – my biological father – gave them consciousness, something the Obin had lacked and had been searching for, for the entire history of their species. But he didn't make consciousness easy for them. Hickory accepted my hug and tentatively touched my head; it can be shy when I'm suddenly demonstrative. I took care not to lay it on too thick with the Obin. If I get too emotional it can mess up their consciousness. They're sensitive to when I get overwrought. So I backed up and then looked toward my parents again with the binoculars. Now John was saying something, with one of his patented half-cocked smiles. His smile erased when our visitor started talking again. â€Å"I wonder who he is,† I said. â€Å"He is General Samuel Rybicki,† Hickory said. This got another glance back from me. â€Å"How do you know that?† I said. â€Å"It is our business to know about who visits you and your family,† Hickory said, and touched its collar again. â€Å"We queried him the moment he landed. Information about him is in our database. He is a liaison between your Civil Defense Forces and your Department of Colonization. He coordinates the protection of your new colonies.† â€Å"Huckleberry isn't a new colony,† I said. It wasn't; it had been colonized for fifty or sixty years by the time we arrived. More than enough time to flatten out all the scary bumps new colonies face, and for the human population to become too big for invaders to scrape off the planet. Hopefully. â€Å"What do you think he wants from my parents?† I asked. â€Å"We don't know,† Hickory said. â€Å"He didn't say anything to you while he was waiting for John and Jane to show up?† I said. â€Å"No,† Hickory said. â€Å"He kept to himself.† â€Å"Well, sure,† I said. â€Å"Probably because you scared the crap out of him.† â€Å"He left no feces,† Hickory said. I snorted. â€Å"I sometimes question your alleged lack of humor,† I said. â€Å"I meant he was too intimidated by you to say anything.† â€Å"We assumed that was why you had us stay with him,† Hickory said. â€Å"Well, yeah,† I said. â€Å"But if I knew he was a general, maybe I wouldn't have given him such a hard time.† I pointed to my parents. â€Å"I don't want them getting any grief because I thought it would be fun to mess with this guy's head.† â€Å"I think someone of his rank would not come all this way to be deterred by you,† Hickory said. A list of snappy retorts popped in my head, begging to be used. I ignored them all. â€Å"You think he's here on some serious mission?† I asked. â€Å"He is a general,† Hickory said. â€Å"And he is here.† I looked back through the binoculars again. General Rybicki – as I now knew him – had turned just a bit, and I could see his face a little more clearly. He was talking to Jane, but then turned a bit to say something to Dad. I lingered on Mom for a minute. Her face was locked up tight; whatever was going on, she wasn't very happy about it. Mom turned her head a bit and suddenly she was looking directly at me, like she knew I was watching her. â€Å"How does she do that?† I said. When Jane was Special Forces, she had a body that was even more genetically modified than the ones regular soldiers got. But like Dad, when she left the service, she got put into a normal human body. She's not superhuman anymore. She's just scary observant. Which is close to the same thing. I didn't get away with much of anything growing up. Her attention turned back to General Rybicki, who was addressing her again. I looked up at Hickory. â€Å"What I want to know is why they're talking in the sorghum field,† I said. â€Å"General Rybicki asked your parents if there was someplace they could speak in private,† Hickory said. â€Å"He indicated in particular that he wanted to speak away from Dickory and me.† â€Å"Were you recording when you were with him?† I asked. Hickory and Dickory had recording devices in their collars that recorded sounds, images and emotional data. Those recordings were sent back to other Obin, so they could experience what it's like to have quality time with me. Odd? Yes. Intrusive? Sometimes, but not usually. Unless I start thinking about it, and then I focus on the fact that, why yes, an entire alien race got to experience my puberty through the eyes of Hickory and Dickory. There's nothing like sharing menarche with a billion hermaphrodites. I think it was everyone's first time. â€Å"We were not recording with him,† Hickory said. â€Å"Okay, good,† I said. â€Å"I'm recording now,† Hickory said. â€Å"Oh. Well, I'm not sure you should be,† I said, waving out toward my parents. â€Å"I don't want them getting in trouble.† â€Å"This is allowed under our treaty with your government,† Hickory said. â€Å"We're allowed to record all you allow us to record, and to report everything that we experience. My government knew that General Rybicki had visited the moment Dickory and I sent our data query. If General Rybicki wanted his visit to remain secret, he should have met your parents elsewhere.† I chose not to dwell on the fact that significant portions of my life were subject to treaty negotiation. â€Å"I don't think he knew you were here,† I said. â€Å"He seemed surprised when I sicced you on him.† â€Å"His ignorance of us or of the Obin treaty with the Colonial Union is not our problem,† Hickory said. â€Å"I guess not,† I said, a little out of sorts. â€Å"Would you like me to stop recording?† Hickory asked. I could hear the tremble on the edge of its voice. If I wasn't careful about how I showed my annoyance I could send Hickory into an emotional cascade. Then it'd have what amounted to a temporary nervous breakdown right there on the roof. That'd be no good. He could fall off and snap his snaky little neck. â€Å"It's fine,† I said, and I tried to sound more conciliatory than I really felt. â€Å"It's too late now anyway.† Hickory visibly relaxed; I held in a sigh and gazed down at my shoes. â€Å"They're coming back to the house,† Hickory said, and motioned toward my parents. I followed its hand; my parents and General Rybicki were indeed heading back our way. I thought about going back into the house but then I saw Mom look directly at me, again. Yup, she'd seen me earlier. The chances were pretty good she knew we had been up there all that time. Dad didn't look up the entire walk back. He was already lost in thought. When that happened it was like the world collapsing in around him; he didn't see anything else until he was done dealing with what he was dealing with. I suspected I wouldn't see much of him tonight. As they cleared the sorghum field, General Rybicki stopped and shook Dad's hand; Mom kept herself out of handshaking distance. Then he headed back toward his floater. Babar, who had followed the three of them into the field, broke off toward the general to get in one last petting. He got it after the general got to the floater, then padded back to the house. The floater opened its door to let the general in. The general stopped, looked directly at me, and waved. Before I could think what I was doing, I waved right back. â€Å"That was smart,† I said to myself. The floater, General Rybicki inside, winged off, taking him back where he came from. What do you want with us, General? I thought, and surprised myself by thinking â€Å"us.† But it only made sense. Whatever he wanted with my parents, I was part of it too.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Why the Drinking Age Should Stay 21 Essay examples

On July 1, 1971 the 26th amendment was passed which lowered the minimum age to vote from twenty one to eighteen years old. Shortly after the amendment was passed twenty nine states across America started lowering the drinking age from 21 to either 18,19, or 20 years old. This new freedom for young adults only lasted for a brief time by 1984 the Uniform Drinking Age Act was passed. The Uniform Drinking Age Act forced states to change the drinking age back to twenty one years old; by reducing the federal transportation funding, for each state that did not have a minimum drinking age of21. This act has caused controversy for years, there even is group of 136 college presidents called Amethyst Initiative that support a lower minimum legal†¦show more content†¦These statistics’ prove Engs theory that because Alcohol consumption is illegal for young adults tend to consume alcohol and abuse alcohol more often. If their theory was true the binge drinking rate for 21 to 2 5 years olds would not be 45.5% in 2010. Another statistic that proves Engs â€Å"forbidden fruit theory† wrong is the statistic noted by the University of Michigans Monitoring the Future study, they found that a proportion of those 19- to 22-year-olds that binged drank two weeks prior to their surveyed in 1984 was 40.7% and their current study in 2006 found that only 38.1% binged drank 2 weeks prior to the recent survey, Which; proves that the 1984 act has decreased binge drinking by 2% in America. This drop in binge drinking rates may only be a small drop in binge drinking rates. Which, convey that Americans do have a high percentage of binge drinkers. This problem brings up another argument that supporters of lowering the drinking age bring up. Supporters of lowering the MLDA compared America to other countries that have a minimum drinking age of 18. Supporters of lowering the MLDA say that in countries where the drinking age 18 young people drink smarter. John McCardell points out some interesting statistic he states† in southern European countries ratios of all drinking occasions to intoxication occasions were quite low roughly one in ten while in the United States, almost half of allShow MoreRelatedShould The Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered Again?878 Words   |  4 PagesShould the legal drinking age remain at age 21? For almost 40 years most states voluntarily set their minimum drinking age law at 21, some states were 18 in accordance to the military age requirement (18) and the voting age. In those states, drunk driving and alcohol related deaths were increasing significantly. But it didn’t just happen in those states, it also happened in the bordering states called â€Å"blood borders.† As a result to these problems, President Ronald Reagan in 1984 signed into lawRead MoreThe Case of the Drinking Age Essay544 Words   |  3 PagesCase of the Drinking Age Do you think young ones should drink alcohol? Mostly the percentage the people drinking in America. Can we stop young people from drinking? Yes, because it’s illegal for young age to drink. This topic isn’t everyone agreed of. The enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prompted states to raise their legal age. Purchase or public possession of alcohol to 21 or risk losing millions in federal highway funds (GPO Access). We should stay the high age to drinkRead MoreThe Smoking Age Should Be Legal Drinking Age1517 Words   |  7 Pagesrequiring you to be over the age of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages. This law has proved itself by saving many lives and overall just having a positive outcome in the community. People say that no matter what the age limit is kids will still drink? I completely disagree, believe it or not there’s endless ways in which it can be prevented while the drinking age remains 21. Parents make a big difference and can pr event this from happening and I have to agree 100% that the drinking age has saved hundreds ofRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?995 Words   |  4 Pages Should the legal drinking age be lowered to age 18? Recently people have been debating whether If the drinking age should be lowered to 18. Some people think 18 is a better age but others think it’s outrageous to lower the drinking age to 18. After much reading and observing, I myself think the drinking age should be kept at 21 years old,because young adults who drink while they re underage make poor decisions and majority of the young adults are in college lacking in classes. The legal drinkingRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Stay At 211300 Words   |  6 PagesI believe that the legal drinking age should stay at 21 for many reasons. Underage drinking should not be allowed in any country because it is dangerous, causes health complications and it can be overused, and most of the time misused. As a young adult it will take less time for them to become â€Å"drunk† and more likely to put them in negative situations which will harm them later as an adult. If the government were to lower the drinking age to under 21, unprotected sex, sexual assault, and other tragediesRead MoreWhy The Drinking Age Should Be Changed1652 Words   |  7 PagesThe feasibility of why the drinking age should be changed from 21 to 18 can be shown in a variety of reasons, which would show that the drinking age should be changed. If this law was changed it would benefit several people for it would create less stress for certain people and it simply makes sense to change it. Although there will be a few people that may not agree with it, although the reasons that will be shared can help change those people’s minds. By changing this law it will help this countryRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1700 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Drinking Age Act made all 50 states raise the legal drinking age to 21(Dejong). The debate is on whether the age should be lowered or not. Statistically, having the age at 21 has been very helpful in keeping the nation safe. If there is not an issue with age now, would it make sense to lower the age and create unnecessary problems? In this case, the negative effects outweigh the positive. Simply because there is no good in lowering the age. The legal drinking age has been set at 21 for 30Read MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered988 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age Should Not Be Lowered There are copious amounts of people who believe that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen. Others think the drinking age needs to remain the same. A few of those also conclude the legal age of adulthood should be raised to 21. The belief is if the adolescent brain has not matured enough to support alcohol use by age 21, it cannot make the responsible decisions required at 18 years of age. Voters should make the decision toRead MoreDrinking Age Drinking847 Words   |  4 Pagesthe drinking age should be lowered to eighteen like most of the world or if it should stay at twenty-one. Underage drinking has been a major questionable issue for years, yet why is it not under control? Teenagers are continuing to buy alcohol with fake identification cards, getting into bars and drinking illegally. As a recent teen, I have proof that these things are going on not only in college but in high school as well. There are a lot of factors that come together to why the dr inking age shouldRead MoreThe Drinking Age Should Be Lowered1542 Words   |  7 Pagesplaced on drinking alcohol and some are controversial. With the majority of the world having a drinking age of 18 years old many often wonder why does the United States have their own at 21 years of age. This has been a topic of much discussion and drama ever since the law was put in place by the US government. There are many people who agree with the law the US have placed on alcohol but there are even more people who have a problem with it. Not only do these people have a problem with the age but they

Friday, December 27, 2019

Analysis Of Bruce Norris s Poem, And Then You Go For A Steak

Bruce Norris stated; â€Å"There is no political value in having sensitive feelings about the world. I don’t think it generates political action. You go, you watch, you say, ‘That’s sad,’ and then you go for a steak. The best you can hope for is to make people slightly uncomfortable. At least if you take the piss out of the audience, they feel they are being addressed.† Bruce Norris creates this environment through Clybourne Park. Clybourne Park addresses tough, but relevant, social issues with which readers can relate; he points out that the more it changes, the more it stays the same. Clybourne Park is about a white, middle class couple, Russ and Bev, who is moving out of their neighborhood. The author, Bruce Norris, writes a spin-off of A†¦show more content†¦Karl acts as if â€Å"colored† people are from a different world. Another example of this is when Karl mentions that they eat different foods: KARL: But, for example, if Mrs. Stoller here were to send you to shop at Gelman’s. Do you find, when you’re standing in the aisles at Gelman’s, does it generally strike you as the kind of market where you could find the particular foods your family enjoys? FRANCINE: It’s a very nice store†¦.Mr. Gelman’s a nice man. KARL: But, I mean, you preferred food items, would such things even be available at Gelman’s? ALBERT: Do they carry collards and pig feet? ‘Cuz I sho couldn’t shop nowhere didn’ sell no pig feet. According to Hannah Barker, â€Å"The first act is not so much a mirror, as it is a reminder to the reader of how ignorant and cruel people were before the Civil Rights Movement.† This is true, people thought that one color was superior than the other. In the second act, the roles reverse, including the fact that now the black family skis instead of the white family; but more importantly, the same racial stereotypes and fears of difference fill the conversation. Except this time, people are more aware and embarrassed to talk about it: STEVE: What, and now we’re the evil invaders who are— LINDSEY: She never said that!!!! STEVE: —appropriating your ancestral homeland? LINDSEY: This, this, this—No. I’m sorry, this is the most

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Human Rights Of A Country s Civil Society - 1579 Words

Human Rights A human right is defined as, a right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person. They are often held to include the right to life, liberty, equality, and a fair trial, freedom from slavery and torture, and freedom of thought and expression. The Chinese government often denies any abuses of human rights, but many countries and international organizations argue otherwise. Many point out repeated abuses in areas such as†¦.. Civil Society Civil society can be defined as the aggregate of non-governmental organizations and institutions that manifest the interest and will of citizens. Pluralist countries tend to have a stronger and more developed civil society when compared to one party dominated governments. The†¦show more content†¦Non-governmental Organizations In China, all non-governmental organizations must be sponsored by the government. This requirement defeats the purpose of have a non-governmental organization, if it is actually attached to the government. This also allows the government to monitor and control and NGOs in China. If the government does not approve of a certain non-governmental organization, it will likely not receive a sponsor and as result, that organization’s agenda will never have the chance to be turned into public policy. These policies are a method the Chinese government will use to limit freedom of speech and expression. By heavily controlling NGOs, the government is viol ating human rights of freedom of expression and thought. Media and Internet China’s media and internet is heavily limited, to avoid potential subversions of its authority. However, people want free media. â€Å"In 2016, Freedom House ranked China last for the second consecutive year out of sixty-five countries that represent 88 percent of the world’s internet users. The France-based watchdog group Reporters Without Borders ranked China 176 out of 180 countries in its 2016 worldwide index of press freedom (Xu and Albert).† China is one of, if not the worst, county in the world in freedom of the press, which limits freedom of expression and violates human rights. Experts say Chinese media outlets usually employ theirShow MoreRelatedPublic Opinion on Gender Issues: Human Rights, American Civil Rights, and Feminist Movements1328 Words   |  5 Pageson Gender Issues: Human Rights, American Civil Rights, and Feminist Movements The development of social movements in the course of human history has led to unprecedented changes that challenged the not only the status quo, but most importantly, the worldviews of societies as well. Social movements have sprung to create a new world order that defined human societies as they exist today. It is not surprising, then, that social movements like the Human Rights, American Civil Rights, and Feminist movementsRead MoreCivil Rights : Sparked Ever Lasting Change1526 Words   |  7 Pages2016 Civil Rights: Sparked Ever Lasting Change in America In modern America, equality is becoming more of a realization however; racial and civil rights issues are still existent in today’s society. The civil rights movement, which originated in the 1960’s, involved public movements in the United States which the goals were to terminate racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans and to obtain and secure legal acknowledgement and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumeratedRead MoreThe Human Rights of Life, Liberty and Property Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesThe Human Rights of Life, Liberty and Property When Jack Donnelly said Human rights are a social practice that aims to realize a particular vision of human dignity and potential by institutionalizing basic rightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. I immediately realized that to achieve this, the rights of life (race, religion, and gender), liberty and property are most vital. They are the most important rights in order to attain the aforementioned dignity in that they are the rights that touchRead MoreHuman Rights For The Disabled1304 Words   |  6 PagesBackground The topic of human rights for the disabled came after centuries of discrimination and mistreatment by people who thought nothing of them. During the 1800s, people with disabilities were used in circuses or in sideshows for entertainment or were put in an asylum for their whole life. They were thought to be abnormal and pitiful. The Disability Rights Movement began in the United States after World War One, because disabled veterans demanded care from the government. The problem has developedRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1491 Words   |  6 Pagesas homosexuals have come to be expressive in fighting their rights to marry in the early 90’s. As homosexuality grows in acceptance in the society, the disagreement over the legalization of same sex marriage has been debated among people in many nations. Although the majority of the society believes that the legalization of gay marriage will have opposing impact on the population, gay activist declare that it is against bas ic civil rights to analyze the history of battle to legalizing same sex marriageRead MoreCivil War And The American Colonization1347 Words   |  6 PagesLiberia has always been under pressure, similar to other countries. At first, the establishment of Liberia in 1822 with the reinforcement of the American Colonization Society may have seemed like a pleasant time. The American Colonization Society’s enterprise was for liberated black slaves to immigrate to Africa. In general, this wasn’t an appalling event along with the time when Liberia was observed as independent by the United States of America in 1862. Although the discovery and foundationRead MoreMichael Brown And The Anti Black Racism1270 Words   |  6 Pagesexists in our society (Cullors, Tometi Garza, 2012). Foner and Garraty (1991) point out that the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was an initiative where Civil rights activists used nonviolent protests and civil disobedience to bring about change for freedom and equality. African American leaders risked their lives to speak out for change while participating in the movement. In 1964 legislation introduced by John F. Kennedy before he was assassinated in 1963 became the Civil Rights Act off 1964 (CarsonRead MoreA Radical Analysis And Argument On The Issue Of Lgbtq Rights Movement1733 Words   |  7 Pagesto the topic of LGBTQ rights movements. Injustice has developed during the centuries to be a main problem around the world, especially in the United States. There are many different issues that injustice addresses. In order to form this, this essay will discuss the history of LGBTQ rights movements since early 1920s. In reference to the position supporting LGBTQ rights movements, the discussion will concentrate on; discrimination and injusti ce and respect on people’s rights. The word â€Å"LGBTQ† standsRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke1346 Words   |  6 Pagesform of government. Locke and Hobbes were among the most prominent of theorists when it came to social contract and human rights. A Social Contract is an agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, are the two basic figures of differentiating viewpoints when it comes to the social contract. While both agree that societies and governments should coexist with one another, their opinions on how the two operate in relation to one another differRead MoreEssay about Gay Couples Should Have the Same Rights as Married Couples1736 Words   |  7 PagesGay Couples Should Have the Same Rights as Married Couples One of the leading political debates in our country today is the legalization of same-sex marriages. The very image of marriage is evolving on an on-going basis due to society and the major changes between society defined unions. The definition of marriage, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, states â€Å"Marriage, n., (1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Implications of Integrated Reporting †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Implications of Integrated Reporting. Answer: Introduction The integrated report of National Australia Bank for the year 2014 states the way in which NAB is working to generate value for their stakeholders through the business strategies, governance, operating environment, non-financial and financial activities. They continue to challenge themselves to look at the performance of the business as a whole through the framework as set by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) (Annual review 2014, 2017). NAB contributes to the economy through paying dividends to their shareholders, purchasing services and products, payment towards taxes and salaries and investment in the direct community. Their main objective is to improve the performance towards risk management with regard to protect the experience of the customers and assist in satisfactory, sustainable returns for the stakeholders (Adams et al., 2016). At NAB, their approach is to create social and shareholders value. They are aiming to generate more opportunities to create more successful communities, assist the people to experience a healthy relationship in terms of monetary factors and donate towards a future prospective society. In the last 5 years they made their target investment into the reputation, culture and people. Further, their objective is to provide value to the community, customers, people and shareholders of NAB. The governance framework of NAB strengthens the accountability and efficient decision making approach of the organization. It is the base for directing the operations, culture and business practices. It is essential to how they provide value to their business, customers and shareholders. The board of NAB is responsible for NAB groups governance as they represent the shareholders. The board also helps in performing the responsibilities that includes remuneration, nomination, and assessment of risk, information technology and audit. The remuneration policy of NAB is constructed to connect the rewards with the shareholders value, retain and attract the employees with high-performance and promotion of long-term growth. They offer suitable incentives through various elements of remuneration on the basis of organizational and individual performance (Healey, 2013). They are committed to uphold a disclosure level to provide all the shareholders with equal and timely access to the information. Further, the information is delivered regularly through various communication methods that include written communication and publication of all the relevant reports. NAB offers their shareholders with various options of dividends. Many shareholders are there who have selected to receive the electronic communication instead of the paper communication. Moreover, the shareholders are entitled to the financial report of 2014, annual review of 2014 and summary review of 2014, upon request (Potter, Singh York, 2013). However, NAB has failed to communicate the following important matters in their integrated report: Growth prospect in their integrated report the financial position of the company is mentioned for only two years. However, to assess the growth prospect of any company at least last five years financial information is required Dividend payment in their integrated report they only mentioned the date for interim and final dividend, however, they failed to mention the amount of dividend paid to the shareholders. Culture in the IR of 2014, they failed to outline the culture and value as the important part of implementing the strategies and developing the strong conduct of ethical issues. Disclosures and transparency they failed to mention the transparency level regarding the crucial decisions and th matters that have great impact on the shareholders, profitability and the sustainability (Feng, 2014). Arguments for integrated reporting against corporate social reporting The major arguments that the integrated report (IR) reveals the complete perspective from the materiality aspects is that it presents the spirit of integrating the financial information with non-financial information through the connectivity of the issues related to the material facts of the company. On the contrary, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) report accounts that the company is responsible for their activities. The transparency from the governance prospect and composition is crucial to assure the responsibility of the specific body. The IR increases the accountability and transparency of the reports. Accountability is associated with the stewardship concept and the duties of the organization (Watson, 2015). Moreover, the CSR approach discloses the ethical behaviour that refers to the integrity and ethics principles of the organization. On the contrary, the IR framework states the governance and materiality aspects of the report. The IR framework states the term of common behaviours and values and the shared norms as part of the relationship and social capital. Although, it is not defined clearly by any of the principles of CSR, it requires that the issued report shall disclose the overall picture of responsibility and performance of the organization. While, the IR framework concentrate on two approaches with regard to create new significance on their principle of completeness and relevance. Further, an integrated report must include all the matters related to material facts, both in a negative as well as positive, in a balanced manner and without any material error (Martnez del Bosque, 2013). CSR argues for the balanced, comparable, accessible, and understandable, timely, balanced and accurate information and the characteristics that are materialized for the principles of comparability, timeless, balance, accuracy and clarity. However, the IR has considered these facts and made the necessary improvements through expressing the requirement for concise and clear annual reports (Prez del Bosque, 2014). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is concluded that most of the definitions, terms, principles and elements from the CSR are found within the IR framework, moreover, it provide in much wider sense and deliver deeper understanding with regard to the way in which the organizations shall report and disclose the information in the financial report. The primary driver the trend of IR is to increase the awareness in the environment of business on the accountability aspects towards the profit, people and shareholders. This will lead to greater focus on the requirements and expectations of the users and shareholders for the reports as are issued by the organizations. Therefore, it is found that the IR that is emerging from the CSR and the sustainability report provides the guarantee that the preparer of the annual reports of the organization is aware about the requirements of the information, concerns of the shareholders and are fully aware about the information included in the annual reports an d are thereby can be widely accepted as the alternative for the corporate social reporting. Reference Adams, C. A., Potter, B., Singh, P. J., York, J. (2016). Exploring the implications of integrated reporting for social investment (disclosures).The British Accounting Review,48(3), 283-296. Annual review 2014. (2017). www.nab.com.au/. Retrieved 30 April 2017, from https://www.nab.com.au/content/dam/nabrwd/About-Us/2014-annual-review-2.pdf Feng, T. (2014).Revealing integrated thinking through Integrated Reporting-An exploratory study within an Australian context(Doctoral dissertation, Macquarie University). Healey, M. (2013). Integrated reporting-one company's experience.Keeping good companies,65(5), 262. Martnez, P., del Bosque, I. R. (2013). CSR and customer loyalty: The roles of trust, customer identification with the company and satisfaction.International Journal of Hospitality Management,35, 89-99. Potter, B., Singh, P. J., York, J. (2013, July). Corporate social investment through integrated reporting: Critical issues. InSeventh Asia Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting ConferenceAsia Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting Conference. Prez, A., del Bosque, I. R. (2014). An integrative framework to understand how csr affects customer loyalty through identification, emotions and satisfaction.Journal of Business Ethics, 1-14. Watson, L. (2015). Corporate social responsibility research in accounting.Journal of Accounting Literature,34, 1-16.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Importance of the clothing in Different Religious Groups

Introduction There is no single religion, whether universal or local, that does not have its own beliefs about the relationship between the body and God. This can be attributed to the relevance of different types of clothes that are used in these different religions. This paper will focus on three main denominations: Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the clothing in Different Religious Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper will also look at the different religious clothes that these three denominations have and the way they use them to practice their religion. The discussions will also compare the relevance of some of the common clothes that the three religions have. Religious clothes and their importance in Christianity Christianity is arguably the most dominant denomination in the world today. Christians believe that the body is a gift from God, thu s it should be treated with respect. They also believe that there is a relationship between the thought system and the body. Christians believe that an idle body is free and easily manipulated by the devil. They claim that the individual in question should have respectful thoughts about other people for the body to remain pure. Christians believe that the body withers away and the soul that was in the body goes back to God after the death of an individual. This might be the reason why Christians believe that the body is a temple of God because it holds the spirit, which is the breath of God (Price and www.abiblecommentary.com, 2010). The history of Christianity shows that early Christians had several religious clothing. One such clothing is the veil. The veil among the early Christians was used to cover the head of a woman when in the temple. The veil was a way of humbling the woman before God and a show of respect towards the woman’s husband. In this day and age, there are s ome groups in Christianity who still find the veil relevant in prayer. Even though there are a lot of controversies on the relevance of the veil among Christians, some of them still wear them. There are various groups of worshippers in Christianity, and some of these groups encourage their followers to wear the veil when they are praying. This is the case with Catholics where nuns wear a form of veil when they are in church. Another type of clothing that the Christians have used in their worship rituals is the cloak. The early Christians used to wear the cloak as their everyday dress. However, Christians adopted this dressing as a religious kind of dressing. In this day and age, the cloak is used by the religious leaders in Christianity.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The cloak is a robe that the religious leaders wear on a daily basis. This cloak is very important for ident ification of the religious leaders in the institutions in question. It is also very possible that the religious leaders of this denomination are imitating the dressing sense of the time when Jesus Christ was born. In Christ’s era, the men wore robes and the women had to wear veils. Price and www.abiblecommentary.com (2010) argue that the Christians of today might not know the relevance of these types of clothing, yet they still use them because they believe that the characters in the Bible also wore the same clothes. Generally, Christianity is the most flexible religion when it comes to clothing. It does not offer serious repercussions for provocative dressing. This is unlike Islam that requires all its believers to conform to the religions dressing code. Today, many Christians do not feel like there is any connection between religious clothing and spirituality. There are religious leaders who have completely abandoned the religious robes and other pieces of clothing that the y are expected to wear in favor of a suit. Early Christians also had the peace Mala. This is a bracelet that showed respect to God. It was worn to mean that one was spiritual. This bracelet was not used to cover anything, but it acted as a form of identification for the spiritual people in the society. Today, there are some denominations that still use the peace Mala, for example the Catholics. Religious clothes and their importance in Buddhist The Buddhists also have their own beliefs on the importance of certain kinds of clothing in their religion. Unlike the Christians and Muslims, Buddhists do not use veils during their religious rituals. Many of the monks in this religion have completely shaved their heads. This is also true for the bhikkhunis, who are female Buddhist religious leaders. However, the Buddhists also have their own religious clothes. One of the clothes that are common among the Buddhists is the robe cloth. This is a cloth that is used to cover the entire body. It is mostly used by the monks and the nuns. The robes are usually made from ‘pure’ cloths and their relevance is that they cover the entire body to make it pure. In the early days of the Buddhist religion, this robe was dyed and made to have a yellow orange color. Today, only one group of Buddhists still wears these types of robes, the Theravada monks. Another piece of clothing that is used in this religion is the triple and five-fold robe. The robe is made up of the uttarasanga, antaravasaka, and sanghati. The uttarasanga robe always covers the right hand side of the individual wearing it. All the three mentioned robes are relevant in covering the body.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of the clothing in Different Religious Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many Buddhist groups wear the robes in an attempt to be purified. They believe that some of these clothes also protect their body parts from evil. The monks also value the bathing cloth. This is a very important cloth to their religion because it is used to clean the body whenever the individual wants to. The rice paddy is also very common cloth among the monks. This cloth covers parts of the body. It is made of strips of cloth, thus there are some body parts that might be left exposed. There are several monks who do not use all these robes. All the different types of clothes that the monks use are used to cover their entire bodies. They believe that the body is holy and must be kept that way. The monks use the robes to cover their bodies so that the devil does not cause them to stray (Strong, 2004). The Buddhists also believe that there are some parts of the body that are unclean, thus they are unholy. One such part of the body is the feet. Many of them do not cover the feet. They walk barefoot because they believe that the foot itself is dirty. The Buddhists only cover body parts that they consider holy and clean (Mrozik, 2007). The Buddhists believe in life after death. They believe that there is no need for the body if it has no soul. Strong (2004) explains that according to this religion, the soul is the part that thinks. Therefore, Buddhists claim that the body is a husk that holds the soul in it. The soul becomes free and the body becomes meaningless when one dies. This is explained as the reason behind the practice of cremating the dead among Buddhists. The Buddhists express their faith by kneeling down in the temple towards the statues of the Buddha. They also believe, like the Christians, that emotions cannot be separated from the body. Their religion allows them to wear decently in order to think decently. This, in turn, helps them keep their bodies clean. Religious clothes and their importance in Islam Islam is arguably the most conservative religion among the three religions that are discussed in this paper. The relevance of clothing, the body parts they cover, and the ways they are used in their religion are very important. The women are required to wear specific clothes in order to cover several parts of their body. One such clothing is the Hijab. This is a piece of clothing that covers the head of a Muslim woman. Different Islamic groups have different rules on how the women should wear the Hijab. Generally the cloth is supposed to cover the hair completely. The women also wear a robe kind of clothing. This type of clothing has different names in different places. However, the Islam religion requires the women to show modesty in their clothing (Hawting, 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The women can also wear the Nijab. This is a type of Hijab that covers the entire face. Only the eyes are visible when the women wear the Nijab. Many Muslim women do not wear the Nijab because it has no religious significance. It is, however, used to ward off molesters (Esposito, 2004). The men, on the other hand, wear the dishdasha. These are dress-like clothes that also cover their entire body. The cloth is loose and white in color. However, in some regions, the men are allowed to wear dishdasha’s that have various colors. This cloth is seen as pure because the prophet Muhammad also wore it (Ali Leaman, 2007). The men also have to wear a hat. This is a tiny hat that covers the center of the head (Williams, 2008). The hat is important when they are in the mosque. It is, however, not wrong for a Muslim man to wear the hat outside the mosque. The Muslims believe that the human body should also be preserved in its purest form. This is why Muslims refuse their dead to be taken to morgues. Their religion requires them to bury their dead in not more than a day after they have passed on. Muslims believe that putting the body of the deceased in a morgue tampers with its purity. They also believe in life after death. The Muslims believe that the body of the deceased remains on the earth and withers away, but the spirit or the soul is still alive. Ali and Leaman (2007) explain that there are some Muslim groups that believe that the person is still able to feel pain after death, even though the body has withered away. These groups of Muslims believe that the wrong things that individuals do before they die hurt them when they are in the grave. Among the discussed religious groups, it is only the Muslims who believe that thinking continues even after the body has withered. The Muslims believe that the body is still present but without a soul when a person dies. Muslims never speak ill of the dead. They know that the body is also very important for their religion because they use it to express their faith. Muslims bow, kneel, and stand up as they chant their prayers (Ali Leaman, 2007). The fact that Muslims have an entire month of fasting shows that they would do anything to ensure that their bodies are clean, holy, and pure according to the requirements of their religion. This religious group, like the rest, also believes that emotions are inseparable from the body. Discussion It is important to note that all these three religions have their own clothes that they use for worship. Despite the fact that these clothes are different, all the three religious groups believe they have to also use the right clothing for their worship to be genuine. Among the three religions, Christianity has the least restrictions when it comes to dressing. Many Christians do not follow a specific dressing culture. However, the clergy of this religious group have their own religious clothing. The other two religious groups mentioned wear their religious clothes in order to keep their bodies pure. The Buddhists and the Muslims both wear robes. The robes are different, but their purpose is similar. The three religions also have a similar use of the peace Mala. The early believers of these three religious groups used these bracelets to identify themselves as religious people. They also believed that the bracelet would protect them from evil. Muslims, being the most conservative of the three religious groups, place a lot of value on their dressing. They also have specific pieces of clothes that are used during prayers. The prayer mat is one of the most important clothes to any Muslim. They kneel on the mat when they are praying. Many of the Muslims do not wear these religious clothes alone. It is common to find that they wear other types of clothes beneath the religious clothes. It is not only the Muslims who have modified their religious clothing, but the Buddhists have also modified their clothing. Conclusion Most religious groups have associa ted dressing with spirituality. It is, however, important to note that the early believers of these religious groups were more convinced in the importance of covering several parts of the body. The believers of today have either abandoned their religious clothing completely, or they have modified it. This can be attributed to the effect of fashion on religion. From the discussion presented, all the three religions use robes as a form of religious clothing. However, in Christianity, the robes are nowadays specific to the clergy. Muslims and Buddhists still wear religious robes. The robes differ in terms of color and how they are wrapped around the body. The three religions also have jewelry that accompanies the clothes. One such common jewelry is the peace Mala that was used to identify the religious people among Christians. References Ali, K., Leaman, O. (2007). Islam: The key concepts. London, UK: Routledge Esposito, J. (2004). Islam: The straight path. London, UK: Oxford Universi ty Press. Hawting, G. R. (2000). The First Dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad Caliphate AD 661–750. New York, NY: Routledge. Mrozik, S. (2007). Virtuous bodies: The physical dimensions of morality in Buddhist ethics. London, UK: Oxford University Press Price, B., www.abiblecommentary.com (2010). First Corinthians Bible commentary – a bible commentary on First Corinthians. Elkhart, IN, Brad Price. Strong, J. S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press Williams, J. (2008). Islam: Understanding the history, beliefs, and culture. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc. This essay on The Importance of the clothing in Different Religious Groups was written and submitted by user Andy H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.