Postmodern Theory in Art Essay

Philosophy refers to the search for truth, existence, knowledge and performance through sense and rationale. Philosophy attempts to study the nature of existence, soundness, impartiality, beauty, mind and language. Art on the other hand refers to the process of arranging elements in a creative manner that makes them appealing to the senses and the emotions. Art includes performance which involves the use of language. The artist Paul McCarthy, born in 1945 in Salt Lake City, learned his art skills at the University of Utah in the year 1969. On his further studies at San Francisco art institute, he studied painting and went further to study film, video and art at the University of Southern California. McCarthy majors his work in video and sculpture having taught performance, video, installation and performance art history at the University of California (Bronfen 214). McCarthy in his works institutes color as a central theme in his story of modern and contemporary work. McCarthy’s life and art works are connected to the practice centered on the role of artists within the cultures and the system of art. In his works he proves a bit of a chocker. The use of language and descriptions of all the American culture that he grew up with, he works towards bending and transforming the familiar into the disturbing. The works of McCarthy definitely removes the dark side of the American dream and presents a selection of postmodern works produced between 1966 and 2006. The philosophies of Kierkegaard involved a unifying factor which evolved around three spheres of existence, which is the aesthetic, the ethical and the religious choice in constant tension. According to Kierkegaard the personal aesthetic enjoyment is in the inconsistent search of pleasure which is self-centered. Comparing the artist Paul McCarthy to this philosophy, it is clear that the philosophy involved beauty and pleasure which is mainly egocentric just like the work of McCarthy which involves the provision of pleasurable activities, through performance and beautiful paintings (Robert & Adorno 132). The ethical sphere however is not egocentric but impersonal. It involves a law centered on reasoning as opposed to personal inclination and expediency. Kierkegaard asserts that at this stage, life does not just involve a succession of separate moments of pleasure but is a long range venture which should be structured according to rational principles. The principles according to Kierkegaard’s philosophies do not only include the rules of eventual interest but the conceptual ideologies of morality that describe what an individual should do. Just like Kierkegaard’s ideals, in McCarthy’s attempts to reduce the disadvantages of painting, he resorted to using the body as a canvas. He later involved the use of bodily fluids and foods to act as surrogates in his work. Other than painting the work of McCarthy included transgressive presentation art, psychosexual events which were meant to test the emotions of both the artist and the viewer. McCarthy in his works was known for shocking, sexually charged pieces that feature benign cartoon and pop culture characters reflecting the ideologies of morality which teaches the viewers and the artist on what they should do (Glennie 34). Much of the works of Kierkegaard looks into religious premises like the faith in God, the organization of the Christian church, the Christian ethics and divinity and the emotions and feelings of different people when dealing with the choices of life. Kierkegaard remained the most influential figure in modern philosophy’s consideration just like McCarthy who remained the most influential artist in the postmodern artistry. Kierkegaard believed and insisted on individual rather than collective responsibility before God. In the stage of true religious choice, only a leap of faith that provides a ground for decision is employed, however there are no automatic rational decision procedures. According to the philosophy of Kierkegaard, acknowledgment of the need for religion as a personal dedication to truth is the major component of life. Relating to this principle of Kierkegaard, McCarthy centers his interest within the daily activities of life and the confusion created by such activities. Due to misinformation by people, McCarthy has been taken to be influenced by the Viennese Actionism. Due to his dedication to truth as his life component, McCarthy clarifies that he knew the activities of the group in the 1970s but there exists a big difference between the self deleterious activities of the Viennese and his own performances. This is a reflection that as Kierkegaard’s principle of individual responsibility to God, McCarthy obeys the same principle and would therefore not engage in the injurious activities of the Viennese (Ben 56). The view of Kierkegaard on the free press can be understood on why he hated the press. He was mainly concerned on the public sphere which had been a source of problem for many intellectuals in the middle of the 18th century before the democratization and the expansion of the press. In his view to the free press, Kierkegaard abandoned the use of internet with the claims that it promoted risk free ambiguity and idle curiosity that undermined responsibility and dedication. Kierkegaard’s opposition to the press is said to have had sociological, political and psychological motivations. He however claims that he does not attack the press because of the liberalism or any other political reason. As has been noted earlier, the works of Kierkegaard mainly revolved around religious issues. His view was therefore opposing free press because he believed that the press and especially the daily newspaper were making Christianity and religious matters impossible. Definitely from his political, sociological and psychological qualms, he considered the press as a threat to both cultural and religious practices. Because of these reasons Kierkegaard continued to attack the public and the press up to 1846 in his writings. With the democratization of the public sphere by the daily press, Kierkegaard felt that the public sphere was becoming a new and a dangerous cultural experience whereby the ranking created by the press was to produce something that was very wrong right from the beginning. In the modern society Kierkegaard gives his total view on the relation of the press, public sphere and the ranking taking place in his time. He considers the press mysterious and desituated with no obsession and dedication and combines in this philosophical age to produce the public. The ideals and the philosophies of Kierkegaard strongly affected the theologians and the existential philosophy. Even though Kierkegaard was a very strong defender of religious faith he was an unhappy, neurotic and a terribly suffering man (Ben 356). His belief was that the best way to disclose truth was through dramatic confrontation of conflicting practices to life. In addition to his ideals and philosophical works, Kierkegaard was a thinker and a genius. His philosophy despite having not been presented in a systematic and analytical manner, contain several wealth of sharp intellectual insights. Due to lack of coherent stance, the philosophies of Kierkegaard have remained questionable. Nevertheless according to Kierkegaard, his principles have been mainly on how one can become a Christian. Other than his philosophical work, Kierkegaard had complex poetic work which rewards careful reading. The totals of moral of his philosophy can be put into a single sentence that the existence of human beings needs real passion and thought. Conclusion Art and philosophy may be two different disciplines, but still some principles or morals of an artist and a philosopher may relate in some way. The revealed example is between the artist Paul McCarthy and the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. The ideals and the philosophies of Soren Kierkegaard match the artist Paul McCarthy for instance, both of them seems to value aesthetics, ethical values and religious choices and issues.

A Brief History of the Palestine Israeli Conflict

Palestine sits upon the Mediterranean Sea between Egypt, Syria, and Arabia; the land has switched hands many times over the past few thousands of years. Being a holy land for all three Abrahamic religions has led to a brutal conflict between them since their formation. The current conflict in Palestine has been raging for about three quarters of a century, but before it can be addressed some history must be known.For four centuries the land had been ruled by the Ottoman Empire, and as it began to collapse in the late 19th century ethnic Jews worldwide started a semi secular nationalist movement called Zionism which called for a return to their homeland of Israel which was promised to them by g-d in the Torah. In the First World War the Ottomans were on the losing side, and in 1917, with the Zionist movement growing, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Arthur Belfour declared that Britain backed the idea of establishing Palestine as a â€Å"national home for the Jewish people. †At the end of the First World War Britain was gifted the newly formed Mandate for Palestine which in its creation carried Belfour’s promise. Not a state, not the sole national home like Zionists wanted, but a place where any Jews who wanted to could go without fear of the persecution that had hounded them for millennia. A few years later the revolt of the Arab people against the imperialist occupation of Great Britain began. Many innocents were killed on both sides, but Britain’s response was incredibly brutal leading to the death, maiming or exile of a tenth of the adult male population.In response The British attempted some reconciliation with the Arab community by creating policies to limit Jewish immigration and property purchase. After the Second World War this limitation on immigration kept nearly a hundred thousand displaced Jews from coming into the country. After a series of uprisings by the Jews in Palestine, and general international disapproval on t he continued immigration policy, Britain decided to end their occupation and leave the question of Palestine to the U. N. Shortly thereafter the U. N. oted in favour of the creation of two separate nations of Israel, for the Jews, and Palestine, for the Arabs. The plan was rejected by the Arabs, and soon thereafter a 5 month civil war between the Jews, Arabs, and the British began. In Mid 1948 the United Kingdom withdrew the last of its troops and the new Jewish state declared its independence which signaled the start of the first Arab-Israeli War. A day after independence was declared Iraq, Syria, Transjordan, Lebanon and Egypt declared war on the newly formed state of Israel.Although outnumbered the better organized and better armed Israelis eventually won the war capturing half of the territory that had been mandated to the nation of Palestine. The rest of the country was split between Jordan and Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, more than three quarters of the Muslim population, were forced out of their country in a day now known to the Muslim world as al-Nakba. In response to this there were a series of pogroms against Jewish people in Arab states leading to close to a million Jews fleeing their homes and nearly 700,000 of them settling in place of the displaced Palestinians.More and more displaced Jews found their way into Israel in the succeeding years and tensions rose higher and higher between Israel and the Arabs. Palestinians given some autonomy from Egypt in the Gaza Strip launched frequent attacks against the occupying forces. In the early 60s relations reached a new low; the Arab world refused to recognize Israel as a state, and in 1967 the Holy Land was once again preparing for war. On June 5th 1967 Israel launched preemptive strikes against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan crippling their air forces.With air superiority assured the western equipped Israeli army slaughtered the Arabs and suffered less than a thousand deaths. Israel captured the Gaza strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. This is when settlers started popping up in the occupied territory. Jews from around the world began to set up housing in the former Arab land; a form of colonialism which lasts to this day. Around this time the Palestine Liberation Organization formed.The PLO is a political and paramilitary representative of the Palestinian people comprised of a number of different political parties. The largest of which are Fatah, a left wing nationalist party then led by Yasser Arafat, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. PLO members in the surrounding Arab countries, especially Jordan, attacked Israelis in a number of rocket attacks, bombings, etc. ; this prompted a series of bombings and assassinations perpetrated by the Israeli army and Mossad aimed towards thinning the ranks of the PLO.After Israel attacked Jordan to flush the PLO out Jordan withdrew all support fr om the Palestinians and most of the PLO fled towards Lebanon where they were granted an autonomous region in the south. After six years of failed â€Å"diplomatic† efforts following the six days war another war began during the Muslim month of Ramadan on the most important Jewish holy day Yom Kippur. Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan attacked Israel who received support from the U. S. After only 19 days of fighting Israel once again won, but it no longer was the invincible bastion against the Arab world that it once thought it was; they had been shaken.On the other hand the Arabs, which had had early success in the war, now felt like they had more of a chance. This combination of events led to the Camp David Accords in 1978 between Egypt and Israel; this was the first peace agreement between an Arab state and Israel. Egypt got the Sinai Peninsula back and in return recognized Israel. . In 1982, in an effort to stamp out the PLO and aid the Christian government, Israel invaded So uthern Lebanon. After eleven months Israel achieved victory against the PLO and their allies, and the PLO subsequently fled to Libya.The PLO continued to represent Palestine in exile much to the chagrin of Israel; a few years later they would bomb their headquarters in Libya completely destroying it and killing hundreds of people. In December of 1987 The First Intifada, a collective uprising of the Palestinian people against the occupiers, began. An increasing series of incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in the occupied territories lead to isolated rioting that soon evolved into a large scale conflict. The PLO and its associates at home quickly assumed control and began guiding the fighting as best they could.The PLO had always been widely secular, and during the Intifada more and more Islamist Palestinian groups began gaining power including Fatah’s main rival Hamas; who, much like the Taliban, received funding and support from Israel to foster discord among Palesti nians. Palestine suffered greatly during the uprising, suffering many times the losses of Israel, but it had some results that seemed promising. The most important was the Oslo Accords; the first true face to face attempt at finding an agreement between Israel and the PLO.The Oslo Accords, on condition of the PLO renouncing terrorism and disarming, established the creation of an interim government for Palestine called the Palestinian National Authority, recognition of Israel by Palestine and vice versa, withdrawing the IDF from what they deemed occupied territories, and set a date five years in the future to finish negotiations and set up a permanent government in Palestine. The PFLP and other hardliners in the PLO rejected the Oslo Accords, refused to disarm, and continue to boycott the PLO to this day.Settlers continued to move into the West Bank and Gaza Strip, atrocities continued on both sides, and the five year deadline quickly sailed by. Late in 2000 a very different Intifada happened; instead of the stone it had become the gun and the suicide bomb. The Oslo Accords had been broken and open warfare began. During the four year conflict thousands were killed on both sides; however, once again Palestinian deaths outnumbered Israeli almost three to one. Towards the end of the conflict Yasser Arafat passed leadership of Fatah over to Mahmoud Abbas and in late 2004 died from polonium poisoning.In 2005 the conflict was declared officially over; later in the year Israel withdrew all their settlers from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West bank. The Gaza strip was in hands of the Palestinians for the first time in half a century. In the 2006 elections Hamas and Fatah won forming a coalition government, and in 2007 this broke down into armed conflict when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip. This week open warfare between Palestinian extremist groups, both secular and Islamist, and Israel in the Gaza Strip began again.For the first time in 21 years air raid sirens are going off in Tel Aviv. Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah still control what little of the West Bank that isn’t occupied. He is going to the U. N at the end of the month in an effort to get recognized as a non-member observer state and make his point for returning to the borders before the six day war; they have the majority needed for state hood, and because they aren’t going for full member status again the Security Council can’t veto. What solution can be found to such a deep rooted conflict? The most widely accepted solution is one of two separate states.A poll taken in Palestine in 2011 showed 34% of Palestinians accepting the two state solutions, but it has much more support in moderate circles in Israel. There are some serious issues that need to be addressed for something like this to happen. What borders would they choose? More than likely would be a return to the pre-1967 borders, only 22% of historic Palestine. What happens to the five million P alestinian refugees around the world when they can’t return to their homes inside de facto Israel? What happens to the Arabs left inside of Israel’s borders? To Palestinians a two state solution is looking less and less likely.The same poll showed 66% support for this solution but as of now support is growing. In this solution, which I will be advocating, a single nation of â€Å"Israstine† would exist upon the historic Palestinian borders. Arabs and Jews would be equal citizens coexisting and both taking part in the government. Israel does not like this plan; Palestinians would swiftly outnumber them and remove their identity as the sole Jewish majority. Unlike the two state solution the problem of getting caught in the wrong borders and having to uproot yourself doesn’t exist. Palestinians in exile could return to their homeland freely.There are of course hard liners on both sides that advocate other solutions: hardliners in Israel that just want to gob ble up the rest of Palestine; hardliners in Palestine that want to completely destroy Israel. Although these will have to be addressed the main focus has to be on the two state vs. binational solution. As I write this rockets are killing civilians; cease fires are being broken; crimes against humanity are being committed. If an agreement can’t be found soon it isn’t going to end well for anyone. A fraction of my Sources Farsakh, Leila. â€Å"The One-State Solution And The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Palestinian Challenges AndProspects. † Middle East Journal 65. 1 (2011): 55-71. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. Hoffman, Gil. â€Å"6 in 10 Palestinians Reject 2-state Solution, Survey Finds. † Www. JPost. com. N. p. , 15 July 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. . Kattan, Victor. From Coexistence To Conquest : International Law And The Origins Of The Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1891-1949. n. p. : Pluto Press, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 14 Nov. 201 2. Morris, Benny. One State, Two States : Resolving The Israel/Palestine Conflict. n. p. : Yale Univ. Press, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 12 Nov. 2012.

The Comfort Women of Nanking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Comfort Women of Nanking - Essay Example The arguments are based on the reasons that there are no definite evidences that link the Japanese government to the maintenance of brothels of comfort women during WWII. Aside from this, prostitutions and sex slaves were considered legal during that time. Although it is admitted based on records that there were about 200,000 comfort women and that they went through pains, disease, and humiliations, the Japanese were not solely to be blamed. Some of the women were prostitutes who volunteered and others were sold by their families. The concern of the government at that time was the needs of the military soldiers that prompted them to act accordingly. The comfort women kept silent about this for a while, but recently, there is a renewed interest globally of justifying the wrongdoings committed to them. Some groups ask for compensation, others ask for public apologies. Governments, more specifically Japan, responsible groups and politicians look at the issue, and weigh things whether to compensate or not. There has been great interest on the issue of compensation for comfort women for supposed rapes and hardships they went through during World War II. International women’s group as well as the affected countries pressure Japan to apologize and issue just compensation for these women as it is argued that this is the least thing that they could do to correct the damage on these women. These comfort women who are now on their eighties still believe that they deserve to be paid because of the agony they had experienced

American Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

American Heritage - Essay Example There is need to have zoning regulations based on major morals population. Seldom, ethnics use zoning provision to blockade bars, pornography, strip clubs, distilleries, and dislikes of other things for moral grounds. The laws of United States basis on morals should not be persuasive. The sentiments contravening laws based on uprightness are misleading because moral judgments stand for legitimate laws (Viroli 31). Recognizing that regulations in general are based on moral judgments has vital consequences. Hence, the meaning those objections to a law for reason of being inclined on morality do not make any sense on the mind of non-anarchist. The same have different meaning on experts in public policy, law, and economics that they are not necessarily experts based on legitimacy of regulations; professionals on the legitimacy of regulations are those with an evident, deep comprehension of moral fact (Viroli 40). Perhaps most momentous, recognizing that regulations are finally inclined to moral judgments put upright and immoral people on an equal ground when explaining politics. Patriotism is the love of someone’s birthplace, country and childhood’s place of recollections and dreams, aspirations and, hopes, it is a place where, a childlike timidity, we would view the fleeting. Indeed, egotism, arrogance, and conceit are the fundamentals of patriotism. Patriotism assumes that our planet is divided into small spots, each one enclosed with Iron Gate. Those fortune ate to be born certain spot, consider themselves grander, nobler, better, more intelligent than others inhabiting the other spot. Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone residing on that chosen part to kill, die, and fight in trying to impose his sovereignty upon others (Viroli 39). Patriotism is though a costly institution considering the statistics, no one ever doubts it. The progressive enhanced

Economic Integration within the EU Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic Integration within the EU - Essay Example (Arestis, P. et al 1999) DG ECFIN economists are playing vital role in the ongoing forward-looking review of the European Union single market that the European Commission is chalking out. The barriers still exist in the internal market of the Union. Which indicates that many benefits have yet to be realised The potential of the single market is to be contributed to a more dynamic, innovative and competitive EU From the economic perspective of the single market review, DG ECFIN analysts advised that it is time to move towards a more economics-based and results-oriented approach using the targeted monitoring of selected markets and sectors. It would bring real improvements to the operations of the single market. The objective is to realize the four freedoms enshrined in the treaty. . At present, this vision is a successful reality in many spheres. The individuals can live, work, study or retire in any EU country. The Consumers would have an extensive choice of products and services at lower prices. The businesses would have lower costs and more opportunities to flourish in a Europe of close to 500 million customers without internal boundaries. The expected gains for the EU economy from the single market inducts an extra 2.2% on GDP and more than 2.75 million jobs created between 1992 and 2006. The The single market may be deemed as a natural coefficient of economic and monetary union (EMU). The euro is not only substitutes the single market by removing the costs and inconveniences of multiple currencies, but it is also the concrete expression of the willingness of the euro-area Member States to work together within EMU. This is a strong, united and sustainable EU economy that can defend Europe's citizens against global catastrophe and turbulence. Many policies for a single market Using a constitutional political economy approach, this paper attempts to demonstrate that both the "principle of integrity" and the "principle of efficiency" of collective action appear to be violated by the European economic constitution. This occurs, respectively, because its provisions are not neutral, nor revisable, and because they do not sufficiently allow for the possibility of cooperative collective decision (leading to convergence in welfare) in a more than ever numerous and heterogeneous EU. Essential argument in this respect regards the implications of the structurally different economic performances and incentives of small and large countries under the European economic constitution. (Laurent, E., and Cacheux, J. L. (2005), From the very beginning, the single market mechanism was more important than an economic policy decision. The ongoing crucial negotiations on an EU patent to defend European innovations; and a common trade policy. It would gives flawless access to the single market for our global trade partners while promoting EU exports and our social and environmental standards globally. It was expected to launch a more dynamic, innovative and competitive EU economy. This has not materialized: economic growth in the EU, determined by GDP per capita, has been below that of the US over the last ten years. Fabienne Ilzkovitz, one of the report's authors, who clarifies the economic

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationship Essay

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationship - Essay Example All strategies at social media are directed by five aspects. These main objectives which the businesses plan to achieve on the social media include becoming popular and visible to the customers, start engaging with the existing and prospect customers, acquiring media attention by engaging with bloggers and journalists, establishing a reputation which promotes word of mouth sales for the business and maximizing the overall sales of the business. All the set objectives are essential to be implemented and they become an essential tool for the business’ social media strategy success. 2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP Social media is considered very important for business marketers and being a new phenomenon it is spreading widely as a business development platform. 2.1. SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media is a forum which facilitates interaction of social community and allows the sharing of various contents through different social community based applicat ions. It includes different forms which include blogs, social sites and videos etc (Kim and Ko, 2012). Gaining extensive popularity the business firms and governmental organizations have started using social media as an important communication tool. Social media based marketing requires comparatively less input and it is highly cost effective if managed properly. The claimed immense development of SM can be witnessed from the following statistics (Bosari, 2012): SM is used as a marketing platform by 94% of the businesses which have an organized marketing department. 60% of the marketers constantly devote their time in the development of the SM forum. 85% of businesses which use the SM platform have admitted that... This essay approves that since recent past messages were communicated to the public through press releases, advertisements and press conferences. Over the years, new methods and channels of communication are developed and social media is one of them. Social media is an active channel which is used for maintaining social society. Social media is considered very important for business marketers and being a new phenomenon it is spreading widely as a business development platform. This report makes a conclusion that the social community and advertising on the SM affects the consumers buying behavior. Based on the earlier discussion the customers carefully assess the ratings and reviews which have been given to the products or services this attracts the users and establishes their end buying decisions. The decision of the consumers to buy or not to buy the product is referred to as the purchase decision. From various studies it has been derived that the attitudes and the preferences of the consumers towards the Brand is detrimental to measuring the attitude of the customers. The purchase intention is based on the attitude of the customer which develops with the equity. The implications of this research clearly elaborate the significance of Social Media and its contribution in effectively managing customer relationship. From this report an assessment has been developed about the effect of Social Media on customer service, brand loyalty and purchase intention of the customers. It has been noted that worldwide social media is progressing.

Communication Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication Styles - Essay Example There are racial, ethnical, linguistic barriers of all sorts present in a successful organization today; multi-cultural practices have enabled the addition of quality and diverse workforce in most of the organizations. In addition to this, there are also possibilities of a difference in the communicative capacities and styles between genders. There is authentic evidence to prove the differences in the communicative capacities of different genders. Thus for an effective business environment to have a constructive flow of communication, the management has to realize the differences and act to minimize them. Research shows that the share of female labor force is increasing in the labor pool; in 1990, the female civilian workforce in the United States of America was about 58%, compared to only 34% in 1950s (Paula, 1996). Researching about the different styles of interaction between males and females is of utmost importance; it determines the quality of communication within the organization. The objective of this essay is to identify the different mindsets and communicational tools and provide recommendations to reduce the gap between the identified differences. A number of factors influence the level of communication taking place in an organization; the corporate culture being of immense importance. For examples, the discrepancies in communication may relate to their personal capacities, or the general stereotyping implicitly followed in the industry. For effective communication in business environment and a steady flow of information, it is important to facilitate equal opportunities of communication in an organization. As more and more are adding to the workforce, facilitation in the form of seminars and trainings is now being introduced to reduce the gap of gender based communication. There is no doubt regarding the different mind sets of the male and the

Business Resource and Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Resource and Managment - Essay Example The analysis includes all the traditional and contemporary theories of motivation and leadership which includes the Maslow's Hierarchy and Goal Setting theory etc. this section considers all the variables; dependent and independent and see their impact on the performance of the organization. The book further discusses the change process and the process of negotiation and conflict. The book also covers the entire topic of communication; its types, the channels of communication etc. The next section of the report is Organizational analysis where taking the concepts mentioned in the previous section the analysis of Dutch Organization Shell is done. Some real life examples of Shell are also discussed so as to get a practical aspect of what happens in the real world. This report is about the practical implementation of the concepts of organizational behavior. The organization that is taken for the purpose of analysis is Shell Global. Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies and their aim is to meet the energy requirements in ways that are economical and environment friendly. The reason that Shell Global is chosen for the purpose of analysis is that the company values their employees considering them a huge asset for the organization. They respect the human rights and strive to provide them with safe and comfortable working conditions. They take steps so as to promote the talent of their employees and provide them proper channels to report their concerns. Academic Literature The book selected for the purpose of analysis and literature review is "Organizational Behavior, 12th Edition, Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge". This book briefly explains all the theories that are applied to a work place (Robbins & Judge, 2004). The book starts with the disciplines that are contributing to organizational behavior. These include psychology, social psychology, sociology and anthropology. These disciplines contribute different theories like motivational theories, leadership theories, behavioral change, comparative values, organizational culture and organizational environment. The book proceeds with the challenges of organizational behavior which includes increase in globalization and improvement of quality and production and managing the work stress in the environment. The dependent variables in an organization include productivity, absenteeism and turnover however the individual level variables include perception, motivation and individual learning. These all variables make the organizational behavior model. The foundation of individual behavior includes the ability of the individual which include the intellectual abilities and the physical abilities of the individual. The next key step is to identify the key biographical characteristics of the individual which includes the age, gender, race and tenure. The individual behavior also includes the learning capabilities of the people; the learning theories include the classical learning theory, operant conditioning and social learning. In order to motivate the employees a combination of these theories are employed. The main components of the attitude of an individual include the cognitive part which is the evaluation part, the affective part which is

Arab nationalism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Arab nationalism - Research Paper Example To Schwartz it is the political participation and activity of Wahabism and Saudism that has led to the disparity and turbulence within the Muslims ranks and force must be used against them in order to neutralize the impact and provide Muslims with a better chance of protection of their political inspirations in the desired manner (Mikhail). Adeed Dawisha has taken into account the overall scenario with study and analysis of multiple retrospectives to analyze the situation and causes of Arab Nationalism and the overall effects associated with it. Adeed Dawisha has taken into account the perspective of the Israeli writers as well to assess the overall scenario in a more transparent manner. The writer has tried to assess the situation and phenomenon of Arab Nationalism from the perspective of political face and the factors and elements it incorporated in the social spectrum. The book provides an effective account of the events and the concepts based on the fact and support of the study of multiple social systems and political orders. The book does and the author does not limit itself to the study of Arab and Nationalism as a force, rather takes into account the parallel social systems of the western world as well to analyze the exact situation at hand. Arab Nationalism has a touch and shade of one of the ethnocentric approach that came to forth prior to it. This was in form of the Western cultural and nationalistic movement. Where the policies and manifestos were in line with the agenda of promoting their culture and society. The periods of study and focus in the entire study that seek more attention are the ones during the middle of First World War and the ones that were right before the start of Second World War. The two events were significant on multiple accounts and accords. The first being that of the vulnerable and nearly collapsed state of Ottoman Empire right in the middle of First World War where the Empire and Caliphate was on its last leg and needed a mere kick to come down. The second on account of the Second World War was that of Jewish settlements in that region that were thick and heavy during those days and were an open challenge to the Arab States and it broadly invoked the feeling of extended and hardliner nationalism amongst Muslims for the purpose of defending their values and independence from the challenges faced in multiple forms. Karsh & Efraim(Karsh) have tried to assess and understand the concept of Arab Nationalism and the Pan Arab movement. They have evaluated that the overall movement is based on the concept of oneness, unity and integration of the Muslim nations into one. Densely rich with the natural resources and other territorial and strategic advantages and edge against the other parts of the world, they felt the need for capitalizing on this advantage and making use of their policies and actions in a more collective way that would allow protection of their agendas and manifestos in the desired manner. The study also takes into account the important dimension of the reasons that have contributed towards the stalemate in the achievement of goals in the overall journey of Pan Arab movement. Century long movement is challenged with multiple threats all round. This comes

Representations of Gigantism in Art and Architecture Essay

Representations of Gigantism in Art and Architecture - Essay Example While the office of the Presidency was supposed to come with a great deal of prestige, it had far less privilege and entitlement associated with it than the inherited titles of royalty that were, in the early 1800’s, the most common form of government.  One word that is used to refer to a particular degree of size is â€Å"gigantic.†Ã‚   Small children use this word when they see blimps up close, or skyscrapers, or magical characters in cartoons.   Objects (and beings) of such excessive size are beheld at once with wonder and fear, a combination which sometimes is described with the word â€Å"awe.†Ã‚   There are several ways in which the concept of the gigantic can engage the senses.   As was referenced in the opening anecdote, there is always a sense of comparison that goes on in defining the gigantic – and this sense is always accompanied by a stark sense of contrast between the size of the viewer, and the normal objects with which the viewer is g enerally familiar, and the size of the object in question.   The idea does not have to refer to a static object, of course:   the ways in which the genie Aladdin assumes such gigantic proportions in the popular Disney movie has much more to do with the swirling, undulating motions that the genie makes, than with the actual size that the genie ends up having.   It can have to do with the scope of a story, not just the size of a particular painting’s frame. When it comes to architecture, the idea of the gigantic goes back almost as far as recorded human history itself.   The Old Testament refers.

Potential Strategy Essay Example for Free

Potential Strategy Essay Many obstacles to my potential strategy are worth overcoming. Since the brand new policy is to add extra taxes on smoking and fining the smoking companies for their actions, then one is able to make sure that people comply or go out of business. A way to overcome the challenges is to have someone from each company represented in Congress (Kottke, RN, GH, ML., 1988). This may mean making sure that there is someone in government that is passionate about this issue, and willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that people do comply with the new law. Through this effort, fewer mistakes are made, and people are getting what they need done to make it happen by having someone speak on their behalf. Any gender can do this regardless of background (Kottke, et al., 1988). For example, medical people are more thorough with this matter because they are required to ask the patient of smoking in the past before doing anything with him or her surgically or when an emergency arises. Because of this effort, people will live longer due to extra steps taken on behalf of the patients in the hospitals from each of the medical staff that is present to take care of them at the time (Kottke, et al., 1988).Many of the U.S. citizens will become opposed to the idea of more taxes; however, if the politician or advocate can convince them that it is for the good, then they might become okay with it. This is not going to appear easy at first. He or she will have to speak in major cities and give examples of how this new policy will help everyone in the process. This will make it difficult for everyone else who wants to smoke, which is the goal of the entire matter. Regardless, people are going to have to decide on whether or not to take part in ending smoking for the coun try or if there is some level of motivation for them to stop their horrible habit (Jorenby, et al., 2008). In the end, everyone will learn and see that this is something worthwhile, no matter what he or she has endured through the years (Prochaska, DiClemente, Velicer, Rossi, 1993).By going this route, this is more effective. People are able to understand that tobacco companies that sell smoking products need stopped in every aspect possible. The goal is to one day abolish them in the U.S. In fact, many success stories will arise because of it (Glassma, et al., 1990). For example, a woman may say that  she spent thousands of dollars a year on smoking, but when the taxes went up and the companies selling the products got fined; this motivated her to stop her horrible habit (Glassma, et al., 1990). Commercials could get made to help extrinsically motivate individuals to stop smoking, and through this support groups are made as a means in holding them accountable, besides with family and friends (Prochaska, et al., 1993).The ultimate goal is to get people to stop smoking. This means that they do everything possible to have accountability from everyone around them to make this happen. Not only that, but also from individuals who are seeking a means in which to do everything possible to ensure this matter is resolved in a timely fashion (Silagy Lancaster T, 2007). They will become more open to the idea of having new people in Congress who will advocate for them, and to make it difficult for tobacco companies to exist any longer. Anyone who is a smoker may at first become opposed; however, in the future, they will understand that it was for their own good (Prochaska, et al., 1993).Smoking cessation is not an easy topic for anyone to fix because of how long this has occurred over the years. Government may or may not do anything if someone is not there to push the matter forward by making a new bill out of it for people to learn their lesson from when selling smoking products to consumers (Jorenby, et al., 2008). All of those individuals know that they are harming people’s bodies, and making their life shorter, but it is as if they do not care about anyone except themselves (Peto, Darby, Deo, Silcocks, Whitley, Doll, 2000). Everyone does understand that it feels good to relieve stress through alcohol and drugs; however, this will not solve the problem for anyone who is continuously seeking ways of improvement with their own life. They will have to find other avenues in which to make it easier to handle the stresses of life (Prochaska, Velicer, DiClemente, Fava, 1988). For example, a person can go to the gym and exercise for many hours, instead of smoking for an hour. This will make him or her feel good. Additionally, people will realize that they will have to try harder to get into a different habit and to break the old one (Prochaska, DiClemente, Velicer, Rossi, 1993). Reference List 1. Glassma, A. H., Helzer, J. E., Covey, L. S., Cottler, L. B., Stetner, F., Tipp, J., et al. (1990). Smoking, smoking cessation, and major depression. JAMA, 3. 2. Jorenby, D., Leischow, S., Nides, M., Rennard, S., Johnston, A., Hughes, A., et al. (2008). A Controlled trial fo sustained-release bupropion, a nicotine patch, or both for smoking cessation. Massachsetts Medical Society, 9. 3. Kottke, T., RN, B., GH, D., ML., B. (1988). Attributes of successful smoking cessation interventions in medical practice. A meta-analysis of 39 controlled trials. JAMA, 2883-2889. 4. Peto, R., Darby, S., Deo, H., Silcocks, P., Whitley, E., Doll, R. (2000). Smoking, smoking cessation, and lung cancer in the UK since 1950: combination of national statistics with two case-control studies . BMJ, 321-323. 5. Prochaska, J. O., DiClemente, C. C., Velicer, W. F., Rossi, J. S. (1993). Standardized, individualized, interactive, and personalized self-help programs for smoking cessation. Healtlh Psychology, 399-405. 6. Prochaska, J. O., Velicer, W. F., DiClemente, C. C., Fava, J. (1 988). Measuring processes of change: Applications to the cessation of smoking. . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 520-528. 7. Silagy, C., Lancaster T, S. L. (2007). Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. The Cochrane Collaboration, 1-109.

Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept

Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept Final Paper: Perception, Empathy, and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Matthew K. O’Hara How does perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level alter one’s self concept and in effect change the fate of the self-fulfilling prophecy? To begin, one must first understand some of the core concepts and definitions of terms that will be utilized in this paper, such that the reader can understand the relatedness and intertwined nature of one’s perception and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor define the term self-concept as, â€Å"who you think you are,† in their work Looking Out, Looking In (2011). One’s self concept can be affected by an almost infinite number of factors, some of which are: one’s biological make-up (inherited disease or if an individual is generally a happy or sad person), how we believe other’s see us, how other’s treat us or how others have treated us in the past, how we compare ourselves to others in our social environment, our cultural backgrounds, and simply our gender; all affect who we think we are. The concept of one’s self then leads us to the discussion of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor describe that a self-fulfilling prophecy, â€Å"†¦occurs when a person’s expectations of an event, and his or her subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the event more likely to occur than would otherwise have been true. A self-fulfilling prophecy involves four stages: 1) Holding an expectation (for yourself or for others); 2) Behaving in accordance with that expectation; 3) The expectation coming to pass; and 4) Reinforcing the original expectation† (2011). Next, we must consider the ever so interesting concept of perception, for which Adler and Proctor describe in matters of experience where, â€Å"†¦each of us experiences a different reality, and failing to understand other people’s point of view can lead to problems on both practical and relational levels†¦.by seeing the world through other’s eyes, you can gain insights that are different – and often more valuable – than those arising out of your own experiences† (2011). Finally, and in my opinion the most vital element of perception that can improve an interpersonal relationship is to understand and practice empathy. Empathy, â€Å"is the ability to re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from the other’s point of view† (Adler and Proctor, 2011). My first example will be based on observations of a colleague (and friend), with whom I currently work. To say that this friend was at times, the most negative person in the world may be an understatement. He would often say things like, â€Å"nothing ever goes my way†¦you just get lucky†¦whatever, I’ll probably get fired soon anyway†¦they [our employer] give me the worst clients,† among many other similarly negative uses of language. Another co-worker (and also a friend) and I, would try to turn his negative attitude into more positively provoked thoughts based on several factors. We would say things to him such as, â€Å"we are all very fortunate to have the jobs that we do in this economy†¦if things didn’t work out with this client, you have to move on to the next†¦we just started a year ago – things will get better/easier†¦you were hired for a reason – don’t be so hard on yourself†¦try to see things a l ittle bit differently.† This was of course not the full extent of our conversation, but this should give the reader some context as to how we would communicate with him. More specifically, there was an instance where this â€Å"negative† friend was preparing for second meeting with a client. In our line of work, the second meeting is where we as advisors diagnose the issues we’ve uncovered regarding a client’s situation; as well as provide suggestion, recommendations, and ultimately â€Å"ask for the business.† â€Å"Asking for the business,† could be having the client transfer money from another firm to ours, or to invest the money they have with us in a more productive manner. Nevertheless, I stopped by his office to see how he was feeling going into the meeting. Not surprisingly, he had what I perceived to be a â€Å"negative† attitude towards the outcome (his mind was already focused on the future or rather his anticipated outcome three hours ahead of the present moment)! I said to him, â€Å"Frank (pseudonym), you have no control on what decision the client will make; therefore instead of thinking the c lient will not do what you recommend, why not feel good about the work you have already done for the client; and think in a way that you believe they will act on your recommendation, because you believe it is in the client’s best interest to do so? And if they don’t act now, perhaps they will act later – but nothing positive will happen if you don’t believe it will.† He then replied something in the manner of, â€Å"yeah, I guess you’re right – I’ve got nothing to lose anyway† (followed by a, â€Å"I don’t care anyway† laugh). I said, â€Å"Great you can do this – and you will. And if you’re confident in your delivery, they will act on your recommendations.† He thanked me; I walked to my desk as he closed his office door and put the finishing touches on his â€Å"mental† preparation for his meeting. Fast forward, after he escorted his clients past my office and to the lobby where he said his good-byes; to my delightful eyes he came back to my office with a bounce in his step. He was walking differently than normal, he was standing more erect, he was smiling – a huge, very happy smile. He said to me (in our non-business, friendship-like communication style), â€Å"bro – you’re not going to believe this†¦.they did everything! They’re going to bring over $2 million from XYZ company, they want to meet with our estate planning expert; and they want me to review their $3 million life insurance policy – oh and he thinks I can help some of the other board members of his university’s endowment fund; he took like five business cards!† I stood up out of my chair in utter excitement, and fueled by his positive attitude – gave him a â€Å"high-five,† and said, â€Å"congrats dude, I knew you could do it – now you’re in a great position to hit your year-end goal.† He thanked me for ac knowledging his accomplishment, but also thanked me for my little â€Å"pre-game† talk when I stopped by his office only a few hours earlier. He said to me, â€Å"you were right, if I just look at these opportunities a little bit differently, perhaps I will have more success.† I said, â€Å"You’re absolutely right.† This was a first-hand experience whereby I saw how a change in perception was indefinitely the game-changer for my friend to perform better, and come across more confident and reassuring to his clients – which ultimately enabled him to earn their trust, and â€Å"win† their business. My next example is such that I consider the positive effects that the practice of Yoga has on an individual’s self-concept, their actions towards others based on their empathetic nature, and finally how all of these positive thoughts and actions promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. There is a well-known Yoga sutra that states that minds perceive differently. â€Å"Although the same objects may be perceived by different minds, they are perceived in different ways, because those minds manifested differently.† This is exactly in line with what Adler and Proctor mean when they discuss the many factors that affect one’s self-concept; which in affect alters one’s ability to perceive a certain way. An example of which is described by Swami J. in his writings. â€Å"Imagine that four people are sitting together, meditating on the same object, a flower, for example. One person is meditating on the beauty of the flower. A second person is meditating on the molecular structure of the flower. A third person is meditating on the subtle essence of light that forms the flower. A fourth is meditating on the primal elements, the gunas, out of which the flower manifested. The flower is the same, while the minds differ: In this example, it is not the flower which has changed. Rather, it is the nature of the four different minds that determines the way the flower is experienced. Each of the four minds in this example is operating from progressively deeper levels of being, and thus, the object perceived is experienced at its different levels of manifestation.† The practice of Yoga allows practitioners and followers to see the world as it really is by training their bodies and minds to stay in the present moment – a very important aspect when considering one’s self-concept, as well as imploring the ability to be empathetic towards others in the present moment; a practice of mindfulness. Jeff Martens further describes this concept in his work, â€Å"Yoga and the Mirror of Perception,† such that, â€Å"†¦everything else is just a projection of an imagined future or memory of the past. It is up to us to make sure that our perceptions emerge from a fearless place of love and acceptance. This is the key to living in the eternal present where all things are possible and the world can bloom anew.† Ancient Chinese poet and philosopher, Lao Tzu, said it best, â€Å"†¦wherewe let goof whatweare,webecome whatwe might be.† Further elaborating on the idealistic ways Yoga can help individuals realize their positive self-concept, be more empathic and ultimately have a more positive future (self-fulfilling prophecy), comes from the biographical story of Suzanne Jones, titled â€Å"Exercise Your Empathy.† Her story has to do with how Yoga did in fact change her life, her self-concept, and how empathy towards others changed the way she views and acts towards the world (people, all things living and non-living). She writes, when I was in the darkest time of my life and planning my one shot at doing something right (i.e. removing myself from the world via swallowing a butt load of pain killers), I happened to stumble into a yoga class. And as I learned how to really breathe and concentrated on how to move my body in class and pay attention to how my body was feeling inside, I activated these brain regions†¦I exercised my empathybecause without empathy, we begin to stop being kind to ourselves. And when that happens, we begin to withdraw from others and the cycle of insidious self-destruction begins. Our brains are social organs and in isolation they begin to suffer. (2013). Reflecting back on my own personal experiences, as well as the two stories I shared regarding my friend/co-worker, and the story of Suzanne Jones and how Yoga and empathy changed her life, I truly believe that the intertwined nature of perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level will not only alter one’s self-concept, but have a lifetime of positive affects in changing one’s fate and ensuring a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. I have supplied both observed and biographical evidence that supports this theory and hypothesis, which suggests that a change in perception and/or empathy towards others will have a positive effect on one’s understanding of the self, which in turn will promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy (cause and effect). Works Cited Adler, R. Proctor, R. (2011). Looking Out, Looking In. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Print. Swami, J. (2014). Yoga Sutras 4.15-4.17: Mind Perceiving Objects. Retrieved from http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-41517.htm Martens, J. (2014). Inner Visions Yoga. Yoga and the Mirror of Perception. Retrieved from http://www.innervisionyoga.com/yoga-and-the-mirror-of-perception/ Jones, S. (2013). How Might We Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion? Retrieved from http://cultureofempathy.com/projects/Conference/Sub/Yoga/ Jones, S. (January 14, 2013). Elephant Journal. Exercise your Empathy. Retrieved from http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/01/exercise-your-empathy/

Disposal Issues And Solutions Of Electronic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay

Disposal Issues And Solutions Of Electronic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay Electronic waste E-waste is the result of obsolete electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones. E-waste isneeds to be distinct from other forms of industrial waste chemically and physically; it contains both valuable and hazardous materials and causes harm to environment and human health whenwithout the use of special handling and recycling method are not used (Robinson 2009, p.184). Rapid changes in technology, poor coordination between new software and existing hardware, and the expenseiveness offor reusinge or recycling result in a large amount of e-waste annually. These electrical obsoletes are either landfilled, or exported from rich countries to poor countries (Robinson 2009, p.184). Since at least 2002, cases of unmanaged disassembly and recycling e-waste in developing countries have been reported (Gibson 2006, p.323).This will lead to not only detrimental effect on workers in e-waste receiver countries but environmental contamination, and may adversely impact human health risk. Thus, issues stemming from e-waste are considered as a global transactional issue amongst producers, consumers in rich countries and e-waste receiver countries in poor countries., These which may require international policies or supports by governments and organisations. Design for the environment in products (Amos, Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.322), e-waste take-back (Xu 2008, pp.1-3) or other municipal and organisational policies have addressed the issues as environmentally friendly approaches. This will enable consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle more greater and perhaps will perhaps lead to more environmentally friendly operating procedures. The purpose of this report is to describe issues of e-waste, analysis of the problems, some approaches for producers and e-waste receivers in order to deal with the issues along with organisations and government policies. 2. Growth of e-waste asand a global transactional issue 2.1. The growth of e-waste Technological advents in the electronics industry and the short life-cycle ofin products have been generating enormous amount of electronic wastes (e-waste). Consumers accept the benefit of technological innovations and a. A gGrowing volume of waste electronic equipments are generated as consumers continue to upgrade and replace obsolete, broken devices everyin a few years. The total global e-waste production iswas estimated to be 20-25 million tonnes per year, with most e-waste being produced in Europe, the United States and Australia (Robinson 2009, p.183). According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, over 100 million computers, monitors, and televisions are becoming obsolete each year. Most estimate say that 20 million computers and televisions become obsolete annually, and less than 6 % are being recycled (Gibson 2006, p.322). As a result, the total global production of e-waste has continued to increase considerably, and most e-waste is currently landfilled or exported to dev eloping countries for recycling. Rapid technological evolution in electronic products and competitive electronic marketplaces means more consumers in rich countries are generating large amount of waste equipments, much of which is still operational. Robinson (2009, p.185) states that the total number of computers and other potential possible e-waste devices is potently correlated with the country ¿Ã‚ ½fs GDP, and consequently, he predicts Eastern Europe, Latin America and China will become major e-waste producers in the next 10 years. The concern over e-waste is not only the amount produced but also the toxic footprint involved in the course of the disposal disassembly and destruction of the equipments. Unlike other waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) such as washing machines and refrigerators, e-waste contains potential environmental contaminants (Robinson 2009, p.185). Clearly, it is necessary to take effective actions to address the exponential e-waste production and the concentration of environmental contaminants associated with e-waste, taking into account recycle and reuse. 2.2. E-waste producers and consumers ¿Ã‚ ½f dilemma The shorter lifespan ofin electronic products means that consumers continue to purchase or replace a product within a few years, and the design of a product is often incompatible between new software and existing hardware. A replacement frequency of computers or cell phones is 2-3 year in 2005, which was dropped from 4-6 years in 1997 (Cairns 2005, p.238; Robinson 2009, p.185). Cairns (2005, p.237) argues that current product design features and changes in technology and wireless services often cause users to necessitate frequent replacements of operational electronics equipment. Many software or hardware companies usually set an end-of-support policy in their products so that it will encourage their potential customers to migrate old version of their products to new ones, which makes it difficult for customer to keep old ones. Therefore, consumers are pressured into replacing their products regardless of their inclinations. According to Huang (2009, pp.115-116), the development process of information systems which have been used for decades, is divided into five stages; planning or investigation, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance. Many of the current electronics have a lack of the concept of sustainability in each stage. For example, the battery of some MP3 players or mobile phones requires intricate disassembly. It is often cheaper to consider the purchase of a new one instead of sending it to a customer support for the replacement. This will in turn lead to create the customers ¿Ã‚ ½f dilemma to use out-dated electronic items. It is essential for producers to listen to customers ¿Ã‚ ½f voices and design their products to meetting the demands including a sustainable life-cycle. This will enable customers with enough information, less costly for reuse and recycle, and technical support to encourage and facilitate product upgrades and repairs. ? 3. Impacts of e-waste 3.1. E-waste receiver countries Most electronic equipment that fulfils its lifespan by product strategies or faults is discarded without being recycled or reused. However, substantial quantity of the obsolete electronics is exported to developing countries, especially to China, after India, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Nigeria and Ghana for recycling or disposal (Puckett el al. 2005, cited in Robinson 2009, p.187; Cairns 2005, p.241). It is reported that some 70% of all exported e-waste is delivered to China (Liu et al. 2006, cited in Robinson 2009, p187). Although some exported electronic devices might be used for some time, most of them will be disassembled and landfilled due to inability to cope with the increasing e-waste globally. In e-waste receiver countries, operations for the disassembly may be primitive and landfills may be poorly managed. The process of mechanical separation of component contains smelter, reclamation and burn, and can be automated or carried out by hand burn (Cairns 2005, p.241; Robinson 2009, p.187). Since an electronic device consists of many components and most products are hardly considered the disassembly process in their designs, the workers in the receiver countries may work in their own way without enough information for the dismantlement processes. These processes may contain an environmental hazardous. 3.2. Environmental issue Many e-waste contaminants may be involved in the process of the dismantlement without the use of special handling or tools. Most developing nations have more relaxed environmental regulations, especially in China, India, and Pakistan (Ruth 2009, p.75). The loose regulations for the e-waste dismantlement can lead to insurmountable environmental problems within the e-waste receiver countries. For example, villagers and workers who engage in the de-assembling process use environmentally unfriendly techniques including the open-air burning and wastewater discharge at the factories (Robinson 2009, p.188). A result of the dumping, burning hazardous chemicals and the wastewater disposal of e-waste will cause a variety of environmental problems such as water, air and soil contaminations. E-waste that contains some base materials or valuable components may be environmentally important, while these devices may contain high concentrations of flame retardants and heavy metals (Cairns 2005, p.241). The e-waste contaminants bring an adverse effect on an aquatic ecosystem. Many studies discover the fact that higher rate of hazardous elements in the livers or creatures such as waterfowl is found in the downstream areas from e-waste recycling factories and towns (Robinson 2009, p.188). Combustion of e-waste by melting plastic or burning invaluable metals has resulted in concentrations of toxic percentage in aerial samples from areas near the e-waste recycling workshops (Robinson 2009, p.188). Soils are also contaminated in e-waste sites where acid leaching was used to recover valuable metals (Gibson 2006, p.323; Robinson 2009, p.188). Uncontrolled burning, disassembly and disposal processes of e-waste in the receiver countries can have a horrific deterioration on ecosystem such as groundwater contamination, air pollution, or even water pollution not only within the e-waste disassembly areas but other areas and neighbouring countries. 3.3. Human health A lack of adequate facilities for recycling with primitive techniques may involve significant risk to the workers as well. The workers in most villages currently use unsafe primitive techniques without goggles, masks or gloves, which have adverse effects on the workers (Robinson 2009, p.188). The primary route of exposure to a toxic chemical is spread into the air via dust, and contaminated dust is found in human breast milk (Dealthe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.321). Consequently, it is difficult to minimise the expanding damage caused by e-waste. The flux of electronic products that generates in rich countries and exported to poor countries may contain many serious transactional issues in some cases. Foods or products imported from the e-waste receiver countries, where are environmentally deteriorated may also threaten human health. For instance, children ¿Ã‚ ½fs toys, imported from China, are reported to have elevated rates of toxic elements (Chen et al. 2009, cited in Robinson 2009, p.189). The content of detrimental substance is collected in the ground and surface-waters, agricultural soils, rice, egg, fish and eventually humans (Robinson 2009, p.189). Hence, the contaminant implicated in e-waste is not only the issue within the e-waste receiver countries but ultimately to humans in other countries. 4. E-waste solutions 4.1. Organisation and government policies Problem of most electronic products currently is a lack of the concept for reuse and recycle in their products. Producers should focus on creating reusable products and provide a rule of e-waste take-back at the obsoleteness. There are several ongoing projects to create environmentally-friendly electronic products and recycle policies in several States in the US, Canada and EU countries. These challenges encourage product makers to design for remanufacturing in order to minimise disposal of harmful components of electrical equipment, share design information, and protect against negative health and environmental impacts along with organisations and governments policies. 4.2. Deposit fees for recycling and guidelines It is important to raise capital in order to introduce and continue with the recycling approaches. However, the cost of electronic products generally does not include extra fees for e-waste collectors and recyclers (Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.327). In California, consumers pay fees when they purchase a certain type of electronic devices so that the budgets will be used for managing these devices (Gibson 2006, p.324). Similarly, a Statewide Computer Recycling Pilot Program in Maryland requires computer manufactures to submit fee for the state recycling (Gibson 2006, p.328). In addition to the recycling fee, it is necessary to be implemented guidelines and legislation in order to manage or define hazardous substances in electronics. Several states in the U.S. , Canada and EU countries set disposal guidelines or regulations, and have banned the sale of certain electronic devices that contain specific hazardous materials (Gibson 2006, p.324; Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.329). 4.3. Design for Environment For producers, it is also crucial to review the design of their products more environmentally-friendly to create recyclable and reusable products. To do so, it will be necessary to determine guidelines or policies in order to standardise the implementations. The International Standards Organisation has standardised the implementation of design for environment and instruct producers to create a roadmap of product design in order to minimise environmental issues (Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.322). Huang (2009, p.116-119) proposes Sustainable Systems Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) that on each stage of product developments; Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation, Maintenance and Disposal, producers should consider sustainability for the products. With regard to new products, these policies and regulations will protect against negative health and environmental impacts. For existing waste, for instance, the EU WEEE Directive requires for producers to be assigned financial responsibi lity based on their current market share (Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.326). These will reduce a product ¿Ã‚ ½fs hazardous footprint. 4.4. Producer Take-Back Programmes Another approach for producers is e-waste take-back programmes. Products are taken back to the producers or take-back disassembly centres to disassemble safely (Xu 2008, p.1). Since electronic devices are made intricately, it must be difficult and unhealthy for the workers to break down the parts in e-waste receiver countries where there is little knowledge of disassembly. Instead of e-waste being exported to developing countries, it would be environmentally effective to take-back the e-waste within the producer countries. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for each electronic will be easier to track the process of e-waste take-back when they are obsolete (Xu 2008, p.1). If the products still can be used then they can be transported to second-hand makers for sale while there is no value (Xu 2008, p.2). Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Apple have already introduced their own take-back programmes in Canada (Deathe, MacDonald Amos 2008, p.322). RFID also provides excessive range of information on their products. 5. Conclusions ?

Comparison and Contrast in The Great Gatsby Essay -- comparison compar

Comparison and Contrast in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚   The success of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is in part due to his successful characterization of the main characters through the comparison and contrast of Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, Tom Buchanan and George B. Wilson, and Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. The contrast is achieved through two principle means: contrasting opposite qualities held by the characters and contrasting one character's posititve or negative qualities to another's lack thereof. Conflict is generated when the characters sometimes stand as allegorical opposites. On the other hand, comparison of two characters is rather straightforward. This comparison and contrast is prevalent in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. To begin with, Daisy and Myrtle have similarities and differences. The similarities revolve around the characters' marriages. First, both have an affair sometime in the novel. Myrtle's sister, Catherine, whispers to Nick: "Neither of them can stand the person they're married to" (33). Partially as a result of this intolerance, both begin affairs. Daisy says that she loves both her husband, Tom, and illegitimate boyfriend, Gatsby: "I love you [Gatsby] now -- isn't that enough? ... I did love him [Tom] once, but I loved you too" (133). Daisy says that she loves both Tom and Gatsby. Here, Daisy's character must be taken into account. Daisy might just as well love Gatsby's shirts, house, or other status symbols as she loves Gatsby as a person. Similarly, she might also only love Tom's status symbols. Myrtle certainly only loves Tom's status symbols. She tells Nick, "He had on a dress suit and patten leather shoes, and I couldn't keep my eyes off him..." (36). This is the point ... ...ization.    Works Cited Bewley, Marius. "Scott Fizgerald's Criticism of America." Mizener 125-41. Eagleton, Terry. The Function of Criticism. London: Verso, 1984. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Collier Edition. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1925. "Fitzgerald, F. Scott." Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia. Redmond, WA: Microsoft, 1996. CD-ROM. 1997. Posnock, Ross. "'A New World, Material Without Being Real': Fitzgerald's Critique of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 201-13. Spindler, Michael. American Literature and Social Change. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1983. Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed. Scott Donaldson. Boston: Hall, 1984. 13-20.         

Waging a Revolution :: essays research papers

Waging a Revolution A poor, twenty eight year old shoemaker named Ebenezer Macintosh led the Hundreds of people. Many people where mad about the Stamp Act and stormed the street in protest. They attacked Andrew Oliver a wealthy Boston merchant who had recently been made the Stamp officer for Massachusetts. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paying for Security Britain’s leaders celebrated the end of the war in Europe and North America as heartily as did the Colonists. The British victory ended more than 70 years of fighting with France in North America. There was a treaty signed in February 1763 and king George III took possession of all French territory east of the Mississippi river, including lands in Canada. a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Proclamation of 1763 In May 1763, Indian resentment erupted in a bloody uprising led by Pontiac, an Ottawa chief. Within a few months, Indians captured or destroyed most of the British forts on the frontier and killed many settlers. In 1763, king George issued the Proclamation of 1763, in order to prevent another war, which Britain could not afford. The proclamation issued that all land west of the Appalachians were reserved for the Native Americans. The colonists resentment grew when Parliament demanded that they help pay for the army that was to defend the frontier. b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sugar Act In 1764, Parliament tried to collect a series of taxes from the colonies to ease war debt and strengthen the British Empire. The Sugar Act hurt Boston especially, since that city depended on shipping and trade. The new duties caused an increase in the price of goods in the colonies. These duties hurt business and customers as well. c.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Stamp Act In 1765 Parliament passed on a tax on all official documents and publications in the colonies, like marriage licenses, mortgages, diplomas, bills of sale, and newspapers. The Stamp Act affected everyone and most colonists hated it. Colonists agreed that Parliament had the right to levy and external tax, one to regulate trade in goods that came into colonies. The Stamp Act was an internal tax, one levied on goods within the colonies, designed only to raise revenue. Colonists argued that only their elected representatives should have the right to levy internal taxes. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Coming of the Revolution The Taxation crisis of the 1760’s heated the debate between Britain and its American colonies. The Colonists argued that Parliament violated their cherished right as British subjects to consent to all taxes levied on them.

Identities And How They Are Formed Essay -- Sociology

Identities and How they are Formed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From this section of the course I have learned about different philosophies and ideas about how identities are formed. The philosophies that make the most sense to me are the ideas of John Locke, Jean- Jacues Rousseau, Charles Harton Cooley and George Herburt Mead. Also the ideas focused on in my exercise have as well helped me to form an idea where identities come from and what they mean socially.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Locke had the idea that people in a society truly want to live together in harmony and that people are not aggressive by nature. That people are born with a "blank slate" and that anything can be learned. I completely agree with this statement. How people are brought up and what they are exposed to defines their identity and intentions in society. I was brought up by loving parents that among others things taught me to be true to my feelings and to express them truthfully. Jean-Jacues Rousseau's theory about corruption relates to the "clean slate" idea. He stated that corruption come from society. So if one is not influenced positively they may end up corrupt and be a hindrance on society. If a child grows up in a "dysfunctional family" they may be at a disadvantage to a child like my brother who is getting the same social education from my parents and the society we live in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Harton Cooley also touched on the idea of identities. He believed that identities are formed from interactions with people...

Philippine Party-List System: A Failure or a Success? Essay

The country’s population is about 90 million; about 70 percent of which is in poverty. It is not farfetched to say that majority of the country’s population is underserved and marginalized ― our farmers, fisher folks, the youth and the women among others ―and are in need of government’s attention. In a developing country like the Philippines, decision-making or policy-making must gear towards development of these underserved sectors of the Philippine society. The population elects its legislators ― congressional and party-list representatives, senators and the rest of the elective members of the bureaucracy. But what assurance do the Filipino people get that the underserved are represented in the policy-making body of the country? It is the party-list system. As defined by Republic Act No. 7941 also known as the Philippine Party-list Act, â€Å"the party-list system is a mechanism of proportional representation in the election of representat ives to the House of Representatives from national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof registered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).† The rationale behind the emergence of the Philippine party-list system in the Philippine party politics is to provide representation to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors of the society ― a ‘democratizing agent’ to the elite-oriented Congress. Nonetheless, it attempts to challenge the status quo and truly serve the underserved masses (Rivera, 2007). The emergence of the party-list system is not an event which transpired â€Å"out of the blue† rather an attempt to redress an insufficiently undemocratic growing elite party politics in the country. Tracing history backwards, the domination of the elite-oriented party politics can clearly be seen since its beginning up to its continuing ascendancy in the Philippine politics today. When the American rule in the Philippines instigated, they were faced with Filipino armed resistance. To resist such â€Å"insurgencies† and to install its complete control over the Philippines, the Americans painsta kingly deceived the Filipinos thru the Filipinization it proposed ― a venue for Filipino participation in the realm of governance and politics. To achieve such purpose, they â€Å"recruited† the elites to join the Filipinization (Gealogo, 2007). Why the elites? For one, they have their own interest to protect. They have much and more to lose than to gain if they won’t yield and collaborate with the colonizers. And they do not trust their fellow Filipinos for they themselves have branded their fellowmen as ‘thieves’. Simply put, they try to maintain political power. And political power resides in property: in their wealth. It is interesting to note, they have collaborated not with the Americans only but with all the other colonizers who came to our land and they successfully maintained a stronghold in the political arena ― in the arena of influence and the influential ― and so begins the reign of the elites. Dante Simbulan (2005) sites that â€Å"the political parties or factions that developed [today] had one common beginning: the principalia group which . . . was composed of the native ruling elites under the Spaniards [emphasis added].† The elites of today are in fact the elites of the colonial Phi lippines. Surprisingly, the entire Philippine party system in today’s time is dominated only by less than a hundred to a hundred wealthy families, and they exist as political clans and dynasties (Simbulan, R., 2007). Does one expect an elite-oriented Congress to legislate against its own interests and genuinely serve the greater masses ― the marginalized and the underrepresented? Prior to the party-list system, minority parties that represent the interest of the same sectors that the party-lists represent today have existed. They tried to forward the interest of the underserved and the marginalized, but eventually, â€Å"no working class (or counter elite) political group or party was able to prosper [emphasis added] (Simbulan, D., 2005).† Former minority parties did not thrive. Now that the Philippine Party-list Act provides the establishment of the party-list system, the question is: Will it, too, vanish like the minority parties which used to assume the same role it does today? This paper seeks to assess the efficacy of the party-list system while pointing out loopholes and lapses in the system. As Section 2 of Republic Act No 7941 or the â€Å"Party-list System Act† states, the Party-list System has three basic elements: (1) to include the â€Å"marginalized† and â€Å"underrepresented† sectors of the country in the legislative processes of the House of Representatives ― democratize the Congress; (2) to pluralize the party system by encouraging multi-parties and (3) to simplify the electoral system. Let us examine the first element of the party-list system by finding out whether it complies with its most basic purpose or not ― that is to democratize the Congress. Based on RA 7941 and the 1987 Constitution, the party-list (originally) has the following basic features: 1. Twenty percent allocation. The party-list representatives constitute 20% of the total number of representatives including those under the party-list. 2. Two percent threshold. A party or organization must obtain at least two percent of the total votes obtained by the party-list system in order to get one seat. 3. Three-seat limit. Section 11 of RA 7941 specifies that a qualified party would be entitled to a maximum of three seats. 4. Proportional representation. The additional seats that the party is entitled to are computed in proportion to its total number of votes. Over the years, there have been debates on these basic features of the party-list system― the structure per se is said to be a â€Å"counter-productive† structure and is in contrast to the very purpose of the party-list system. To show this, let us take a look at the 14 years of the party-list system. The first ever party-list election in 1998 was accepted with enthusiasm. A total of 123 parties participated in the election. The first party-list election was not free of controversies. Right after the election, a certain party-list (PAG-ASA) filed a petition wanting the filling up of the complete 20 percent membership of the party-list to the House of Representatives― they argued it is mandatory. This petition gathered support from nine other organizations which also filed. Eventually, the COMELEC declared all the other 38 organizations in addition to the already declared 14 winners. In declaring the other 38 organizations the COMELEC clearly disregarded the 2 percent threshold and it reasoned out that their decision was based on the following justifications: (1) ‘the marginalized and the underrepresented sectors must be represented in the House of Representatives, (2) the party-list system must represent the broadest sectors of the society and; (3) it would encourage multi-party system.’ However, 12 of the parties which were initially declared by the COMELEC objected to the proclamation of the other 38 organizations arguing that only them (the 14 initially declared winners) are entitled to the seat in the lower house because the other 38 organizations failed to attain the 2 percent vote threshold. Eventually, the dispute was resolved in the Supreme Court. In an en banc session of the Supreme Court in October 1998 it ruled that the 20 percent seat allocation as prescribed by Section 5 (2) of the Constitution is not mandatory. Furthermore, it ruled that the 2 percent threshold is constitutional thus required to obtain a seat in the House of Representatives. So the COMELEC had to recall the proclamation of the other 38 organizations. Given the basic features of the party-list system, one important question needs to be answered: â€Å"How does the party-list system enhance the chances of marginalized or underrepresented parties of winning seats in the House of Representatives?† The COMELEC says that with the three- seat cap for the party-lists, major political parties or the bigger parties which usually dominates the elections will not have the chance to â€Å"corner all the seats† in the House of Representatives and â€Å"crowd out† minority parties. This, th ey argue, will encourage the party-lists to win seat in the House of Representatives. Granted this to be true and the desired or expected consequence to be existent, the party-list is indeed a potential counter-foil to the elite-dominated Congress. However, given this features, particularly the three-seat cap, Felix Muga (2007c) argues―in contrast with what the COMELEC declares―that this features of the party-list system particularly the three-seat cap is a â€Å"counter-productive† structure for â€Å"it promotes the break-up of a strong party into smaller ones and discourages parties to form bigger coalitions† (Para. 4). To illustrate this, let us consider the events after the 2001 Party-list Elections. After the Supreme Court disqualified some parties during the 2001 Elections, Bayan Muna’s percentage share of total party-list votes reached 26.82 percent (Party-List Canvass Report Number 26 as September 7, 2001). Sadly, they were just given three seats. Consequently, in the 2004 party-list election, Bayan Muna broke up into smalle r parties and obtained 6 seats in the House of Representatives. Note that not only Bayan Muna resorted to this break up; there are also several of other party-lists like the Sanlakas. Thus, Muga further claims that â€Å"it [3-seat cap] does not pave the way for smaller parties to win seats in the House of Representatives. Together with the 2% informal threshold in the simplified Comelec Formula or with the first party-rule of the Panganiban Formula, it cannot fill up the available number of party-list seats and causes the Formula used to contradict the principle of proportional representation [emphasis added].† The party-list as defined is a ‘mechanism for proportional representation’ (RA 7941). Thus, for instance, if a party gets 50 percent of the total party-list votes, it shall get the 50 percent of the total number of seats allocated for the party-lists (principle of proportionality). RA 7941 requires a vote threshold. The two (2) percent vote threshold means that the party which obtained at least 2 percent of the party-list votes will be allotted the seat. Mathematically, this can be represented by total number of votes of all parties divided by the total number of available seats (Hare Quota). In the 2007 Party-list election, the total number of party-list votes reached 8,416,421; the 20 percent seat allocation for that particular Party-List Election translated to 55 seats. Therefore, following the above-mentioned formula, we arrive at â€Å"8,416,421 divided by 55 seats, equals 153,025† (Hare Quota). Following the principle of proportionality, we now compute the ideal seat for BUHAY party-list, the top-notch party-list group in the 2007 Party-List Election. BUHAY attained a total number of votes of 1,169,234; we divide it with the Hare Quota for the 2007 Party-list Election computed earlier which is 153,025 (1,169,234/153,025). Thus, the ideal seat for BUHAY is 7.64. However, the ideal seat is not the actual seat given to the winning party-list groups. Muga (2005) came up with the idea of â€Å"seat allocation error† to illustrate the difference between the ideal seat and the actual seat given (ideal seat – actual seat given). BUHAY party-list’s ideal seat is 7.64, but it was granted with only 3 seats. Thus, the â€Å"seat allocation error† is 4.64 seats. They were deprived of 4 more seats in the Congress and were only given 3. Muga also provided a formula in computing the disenfranchised votes which can be expressed as: Degree of Negation X Hare Quota = Number of votes disenfranchised To a certain extent, the basic features ― the three-seat cap, the 2 percent vote threshold and the First Party Rule ― of the party-list system’s structure caused the negation of proportional representation. This structure is indeed â€Å"counter-productive† on the part of the party-lists and most of all, the entire marginalized sector they represent. The party-list system seeks to democratize the Congress. Ironically, the structure itself does not provide any clear means for a genuine â€Å"democratization† of the Congress. Given this restrictions, ‘no party can really grow in the Congress.’ In the latter part of this paper, performance of the party-lists (in terms of legislation) shall be assessed and we will found out if the current party-list structure has something to do with the party-lists’ performance. Also, major concerns of the party-list system are issues on accreditation, membership and legislation. The accreditation p rocess employed by the Commission on Elections is very loose ― there is lack of prohibition against party-lists with links to the government (irrespective whether direct or indirect), lack of strict imposition of prohibition on party-lists receiving foreign support, lack of strictness in following the rules set by the law on who shall become the party-list’s nominee among others. To illustrate this, let us consider the party-list Aksyon Sambayanan or AKSA. It is very clear in the Supreme Court ruling that a party-list shall be disqualified if â€Å"It is receiving foreign support from any foreign government, foreign political party, foundation, organization, whether directly or through any of its officers or members, or indirectly through third parties for partisan election purposes† (Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party vs. COMELEC, G.R. No. 147589, June 26, 2001, En Banc). Despite that, after known to be supported by Socialist International, AKSA still was accredited, allowed to join the election and was given seat in the House of Representatives (Manalansan, 2007). It may be safe to say that the Supreme Court ruling has not been proven insurmountable because such lapses occur. Also is the nominee Catalina Bagasina ― a provincial board member and a business woman ― of the Pilipino Association for Country or Urban Poor Youth Advancement Wel fare (Pacyaw). The Ang Galing Pinoy party-list is a group representing the security guards. Its representative to the Congress is the former first son―the son of the former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Arroyo― Rep. Juan Miguel â€Å"Mikey† Arroyo. What is troubling about this is that Rep. Arroyo is not and has never been a security guard. In short, he doesn’t belong to the sector he represents. Logically, how can he truly understand the plight of the security guards if he himself is not one of them? The Supreme Court ruling states that â€Å"not only the candidate party or organization must represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors, so also must its nominees. The nominees must be Filipino citizen ‘who belong to marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organizations and parties [he/she represents]’† (Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party vs. COMELEC, G.R. No. 147589, June 26, 2001, En Banc, para. 8). Surprisingly, Ang Galing Pin oy which is in clear defiance to this rule is still in position in Congress. Still surprisingly, there are other party-lists in defiance to this. 1-UTAK party-list ― a group representing PUV drivers, operators and commuters ― had the late former Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes as its representative. It is interesting to note that former Sec. Reyes is a stalwart defender of the oil deregulation law, which this group he tried to represent, strongly opposes. Another point the Supreme Court ruling raised was that â€Å"the political party, sector, organization or coalition must represent the marginalized and underrepresented groups identified in Section 5 or R.A. 7941† (Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party vs. COMELEC, G.R. No. 147589, June 26, 2001, En Banc). However, APEC or the Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives is not a marginalized group yet it is granted the chance to join the election and win seats. Manalansan (2007) further points out other party-lists which are not considered marginalized. They are BUHAY, Veterans Federation of the Philippines and Cooperative-National Confederation of Cooperat ives (Coop-NATCCO) among others. Moreover, the Supreme Court ruled that â€Å"the party or organization must not be an adjunct of, or a project organized or entry funded or assisted by, the government. . . . The participation of the government or its official in the affairs of a party-list candidate is not only illegal and unfair to other parties, but also deleterious to the objective of the law† (Ang Bagong Bayani-OFW Labor Party vs. COMELEC, G.R. No. 147589, June 26, 2001, En Banc). However, the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) is a government-funded group. It is in fact a creation of R.A. 2640 (Manalansan, 2007). Clearly, there are lots of loopholes in the current party-list system ― not only the structure which makes it ineffective but also the very process of filtrating or accrediting the party-lists-to-be and the nominees. In its 14 years of existence, how well did the party-lists performed in the Philippine legislature? In the 11th Congress, the party-list representatives filed a total of 3, 698 bills and resolutions. Only 20 bills reached Second Reading. In the 12th and 13th Congress, party-lists representatives filed a total of 5, 706 bills and resolutio ns, but majority of which are still pending (Manalansan, 2007). In the 14th Congress, there were 19 bills which reached the Third Reading but disappointingly, none became a law. One may remember the approval of the 125 pesos daily minimum wage increase in the 13th Congress. It was filed by Bayan Muna Rep. Crispin Beltran (12th Congress) and refilled by him again in the 13th Congress (this time as Anakpawis representative). It was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, it was later on recalled. At the brighter side, laws on Abolition of the Death Penalty, Protection to Children in Conflict with the Law, Anti-Trafficking in Persons, Anti-Violence against Women and Overseas Absentee Voting have been passed with party-list representatives as forwarders and/or consultants. The progressive party-list representatives are diligent enough to file and re-file bills and resolutions that would serve the greater mass. These are bills to amend the Labor Code, to repeal the Automatic Appropriations law, Mining Act, National Government Center Land Utilization Act and Oil Deregulation Act among others. On the contrary, a number of bills have been passed within a short period of deliberations only. These bills are alleged as â€Å"Malacaňang-certified† legislations. Examples of this are the Expanded Value Added Tax, Lateral Attrition Law and the infamous Anti-terrorism bill or the Human Security Act of 2007. Since the beginning of the party-list system there were assumptions that the party-list, originating from elite politics, shall only prolong elite politics in the country (Simbulan, 2007). Some believe that this is just a make-believe measure to make it appear that the Philippine society is well-represented in the legislature. At this point, we will try to assess whether this assumption is true or not. It is a fact that the Philippine congress is a congress of the elite or the wealthy oligarchs of the nation. As a matter of fact, in a study conducted by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), it found out that ‘60 to 100 wealthy families (political clans) â€Å"dominate† and â€Å"determine† the entire Philippine legislature or politics’ (Simbulan, 2007). The PCIJ studied political clans from 2001 to 2004 and found out that political parties in the country are really â€Å"clan alliances†. In a Congress like this ―dominated by traditional parties and wealthy political clans, where number matters ― what can the very few party-list representatives do to forward the interest of the masses when it conflicts with the elites? Proponents of the party-list system admit that the party-lists have been absorbed by the traditional parties in the Congress. In news article from GMA News TV on April 6, 2010, former Marikina Rep. Romeo Candazo ― one of the main authors of the RA 7941 ― said that ‘majority of the party-list representatives have been co-opted by traditional politics. As such, it is very difficult for this minority party-list to resist the domination of these ruling elites. These political clans coalesce with other clans or political parties to uphold and protect the status quo and to maintain a stronghold on the legislature. This sufficiently explains why the party-lists get co-opted by these traditional parties. Clearly, the party-list is to the disadvantage as compared to the traditional parties in the Congress. First, the party-list lacks the number or a stronghold in the Congress due to the seat allocation restrictions of the Party-List System Act. Also, the party-list lacks the machinery during elections. The very low voters’ turnout on party-list election testifies to the ignorance of the people on this system. This may be attributed to the lack of machinery of the party-lists system. The party-lists lack the financial prowess to air political ads on televisions and other media of information. In a Pulse Asia Survey (March 27 to April 4, 2004), television is the leading primary source of election-related information (71%), followed by radio at 20 percent and newspapers by 4 percent (Arao, 2007). As such, how would the people know about the party-list if these media of information is not maximized by the party-list? However, we cannot deny the fact that the party-list has two faces: the rich and the poor. Some party-list representatives are found at the bottom 10 percent poorest Representatives, but there are party-list representatives who are millionaires. In the 12th Congress, APEC representatives were all multi-millionaires. There are many other millionaire party-list representatives like Alagad’s Rodante Macoleto, AVE’s Eulogio Magsaysay, and Coop-NATCCO’s Guillermo Cua among others. Note that in the 13th Congress, the richest party-list representative was VFP’s Gidaya with a net worth of 34.66 million pesos and the poorest was Anakpawis’ Rep. Rafael Mariano with a net worth of 18,000 pesos (Manalansan, 2007). It is not farfetched that one day the party-list is no longer of difference with the traditional parties in the Congress. What future awaits the Party-List System? Will it too vanish or survive the test of traditional politics? In conclusion, this paper does not undermine the potential of the party-list system for it has forwarded a significant number of bills and resolutions since 1998 up to this present Congress. It is a clear sign that the party-lists system, somehow, is working in the Philippines. They have provided the underserved and the marginalized a voice in the congress. They tried to strike a balance in an elite Congress. The party-list per se is a great chance for the masses to be represented. But it is undeniable that the party-li st system is failing. It might just be a matter of less than a decade that the â€Å"narrow alley constitutionally reserved for the representation of marginal sectors in Congress† be permanently closed by traditional politics (Tuazon, 2007). It is quite not hard to conclude that the Philippine party-list system is more of a failure than a success. First and for most, its goal to democratize the Philippine Congress is at the onset defeated for the structure itself limits the growth of this party-list groups in the Congress and even encouraged break ups among the party-lists. Secondly, the issue of accreditation weakens the chance of the party-list system to genuinely fulfill its promising purpose ― to serve the marginalized and the underrepresented sectors of the society. Moreover, the party-lists are co-opted by traditional politics. The party-list legislation has not resulted to any concrete law that would directly benefit the underserved sectors of the Philippine society. Nonetheless, the future for the party-list system is still bright despite such failures. As Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid of the Justice Cecilia Munoz Palma Foundation said: Those who argue that it [the party-list system] should be retained, and in fact strengthened, point to how it has been able to balance our â€Å"elite† democracy by providing representation to sectors which otherwise would have been excluded under our present political system. But how do we deal with blatant abuses like having individuals who had never been a part of the group that they are expected to represent? . . . It is about time that the system should be examined by groups from various sectors of society [emphasis added]. The party-list system as the sole legal or constitutional means by which the underrepresented and the marginalized sectors of the Philippine society assert their rights and be part of the Philippine legislature, despite its failure, should be braced and strengthened so as to serve its purpose truly.